The Same Deep Water as you
by PSawyer2514
Summary: Peyton Sawyer moves to Tree Hill. She has to start all over again, but soon becomes friends with the handsome Lucas Scott and his friends. There is something about Lucas though, and she doesn't know how to handle it. Read&Review! CHAPTER 6 UP NOW!
1. Chapter 1

_I found out that from where I am I can also write, so I immediately started of course._

**The Same Deep Water As You  
Chapter 1**  
**  
A/N This is my third story. It's a little bit different from my other two stories. The other ones were set in season 5, and this one is set in.. well high school. I would love to hear what you think about it, so please read and review.  
I hope you enjoy it!**

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Peyton raced her car through the streets of Tree Hill. Because she just moved here, she didn't know the streets very well. That's why she was running late for school. Her new school, with the new kids. She wished she was back at her old school. She knew who she was there, and everyone knew her. Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer. Captain of the cheerleaders, popular, but not a stereotype cheerleader. Back there she knew who her friends were and who her enemy was. She got that place down. It was safe. But this, this new school, it was frightening. She knew that from now on, everything would be different.  
Everything was different.  
She drove up Tree Hills parking lot, grabbed her bag and ran into the school.  
No one.  
Great, I'm too late, she thought to herself. She looked at the little paper she was holding. It said where her locker was and where her classes were. She looked around and saw that she was standing next to her locker. At least she had luck with that.  
She hastily opened it and tossed her stuff in it. She jumped with shock when she heard a voice behind her. 'Let me guess. You're late', the voice said. Peyton turned around and was faced with the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. 'Yeah, I guess', she stammered. The guy observed her and finally said: 'I don't think I've seen you around. Are you new?' She nodded and stuck out her hand. 'Peyton Sawyer.'  
They boy smiled and shook her hand. 'Hi Peyton, I'm Lucas. Lucas Scott. Nice to meet you.' The two of them kept looking at each other until Peyton whispered: 'As much as I like doing this, I think it's time for us to go back to class. See, a boy just told me that I was late. So..' Lucas chuckled. 'Maybe that is a good idea. What's your first class?' he asked. Peyton looks at the paper. 'English', she answered. 'Good, mine too. I'll walk with you.' Peyton nodded hesitating and followed him.  
Thank God, at least there are nice people on this school, she thought.

'So how do you like this school?' Lucas asked. She shrugged. 'Seeing that I've only been here for like what, fifteen minutes, I don't know.' Lucas laughed again. 'Sarcasme. I like that.' Then he stopped walking. 'Here it is.' He opened the door for her and followed her inside. She felt that everyone was looking at her, so she quickly moved to the lady in front of the class. They trade a few words, and then the teacher looked up. 'Okay, guys. This is Peyton Sawyer. She just moved here from Oak Land.' She looked at Peyton. 'You can sit there, in front of Lucas. In case you don't know him, that's him.' She pointed at the boy Peyton met earlier. She grabbed her bag and walked to her seat. 'Open your books at page 98.' Everyone did what they were told and opened their books. A boring, long class followed, but it was not hard for Peyton to keep up. Same goes for the next few classes. But still she was very happy that they had a short break. She got herself something to eat and found an empty table to sit on. She pulled out a book from her bag and started reading.

'All alone?' she suddenly heard. She looked up and sees Lucas, and smiled. 'May I?' he asked and looked at the seat next to hers. 'Yeah, sure', she replied. Now she couldn't focus on her book anymore, she kept staring at Lucas. 'Um.. you don't have to sit with me if you don't want to. You can sit with your friends over there. They're calling you.' 'Nah, they'll be fine without me. And besides you were all alone.' He stared at the book. 'What are you reading?' She looked at the book herself and then held it up so he could see it. 'The Great Gatsby.' 'The story about a man who wants to reconquer his old love, and that while she is married. Tragic.' Peyton nodded, surprised that he knew the book. He didn't strike her as a reader. All of the sudden a girl walked up to their table. 'Hey Luke', she said and winked. 'Brooke, what's up?' he asked smiling. It was obvious that the two were good friends. 'I actually wanted to ask her something', she told him and pointed at Peyton. 'I was observing you a little bit today, and I have an amazing offer for you!' 'Really?' Peyton responded, not too sure if she should be happy. 'How do you feel about becoming a.. cheerleader?! I'm sure you'll like it, and we really need one', she whined. Peyton didn't have to think twice about that and answered: 'I'd love, too!' 'Are you sure?' 'Absolutely, I've always been the captain of my own cheerleading squad.' 'Yay, that's great!' She clapped her hands together. 'Then I will see you after school in the gym, okay?' She didn't even wait for Peyton's answer, and walked away. 'Wow, you haven't even been here for a whole day, and you're already a cheerleader and friends with Brooke Davis. I'm honored that I may sit here, next to you', he mocked. Peyton started to laugh and playfully hits him on his shoulder. 'So what do you do around here? Are you part of a welcomingcomittee?' she joked. 'Actually, no. I play for the Tree Hill Ravens.' Peyton couldn't hold her laughter any longer. 'A jock and a cheerleader, that should be interesting!' They both laugh, but then the buzzer went off and they had to go to class. 'I'll meet you at your locker, if you want me to walk you to the gym?' Lucas suggested. 'I've gotta go now.' He smiled at her and walked away. Peyton slowly put her books in her bag and walked to her next class. Maybe this school isn't that bad after all. It could be a lot of fun.

Peyton just finished her last class and as promised she was waiting for Lucas at her locker. And as promised he showed up. 'Hey, how was your first day?' he asked curious. 'I'll let you know when it's over, okay?' Lucas smiled. 'Let's go, the gym is on the other side of the school.' She nodded and followed him. 'So..' Lucas suddenly started, 'you nervous?' 'No, not really. Like I said, I've always been a cheerleader.' She smiled. 'I know how to act around them.' 'Hmm.. and around Brooke?' 'I don't know yet. I mean, I only have a few classes with her and we haven't talked really.' 'Don't worry. Brooke is a good friend of mine and I'm sure you'll like her. Haley, too, by the way.' 'Who is Haley?' she asked confused. 'She's a cheerleader, too. And we've been best friends since we were nine, I think. And she is my half-brother's.. girlfriend. And that would be Nathan. He's a jock, too', he explained to her and walked further. Peyton noticed that there were a lot of pictures of a girl, not older then herself, hanging around the school. She looked more closely at one of the pictures. 'Danneel Harris.' It read. 'She's beautiful', she whispered. She turned to Lucas. 'Who is she?' she asked. 'She um - she was my girlfriend.' The happy look he had on his face five minutes ago, disappeared. 'She died four months ago.' Peyton looked away, shocked. 'I'm so sorry, Luke.' He shrugged it off. 'It doesn't matter. You couldn't know.' Lucas thought back to Danneel. 'We knew each other for five years, and we always had been great friends. But three-and-half years ago we realised that we wanted more than just friendship. She was the most precious thing in my life, and they just took her away from me.' 'What happened?' she asked while they continued to walk. 'Four months ago I got a call from her parents. She died in a car accident. The driver had one drink too many and he hit her with his car', he told her, and thinking back to that made him angry again.. 'I'm sorry, Lucas. It must be really hard for you.' Lucas nodded, and looked up. They arrived at the gym. Peyton opened the door and walks to the other girls. 'You came!' Brooke said cheerful. Peyton nodded, but her eyes followed Lucas everywhere. Brooke noticed it and asked her what is going on. 'Danneel..' 'Oh..' She sees how much it bugged Peyton. 'Hey, that can happen to anyone.' 'Yeah, I know. But still.' 'Don't worry about it. Come on, I'll introduce you to the others.' She took Peyton's arm and dragged her to the rest of the girls. 'Girls, may I introduce to you Peyton Sawyer! She has always been the captain of her own cheerleading squad back in Oak Land.' Peyton waved and smiled. 'Peyton, this is my squad.' She introduced them to her one after the other. 'Okay, now we finished that, we can finally start. Positions!' Brooke walked to her stereo and put on the music. Then she walked back to them and they start.

'Who is that girl? The one with the blond curls', Nathan asked his brother. 'That's Peyton Sawyer, she's new.' 'And already she's a cheerleader?' he asked surprised. Lucas nods. 'She's really nice, and she fits in perfectly.' 'Really nice, huh?' he joked. Lucas playfully hit him. 'Why don't you just worry about you and Haley, then I will take care of my own.' 'I will Luke.' They start to laugh, but Lucas kept staring at Peyton. She really was beautiful.

_"John Steinbeck once wrote: 'Change comes like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes like the stealthy perfume of wildflowers hidden in the grass.'"_

Then Lucas' thoughts got cut off by their coach Whitey Durham. 'Get over here!' he yelled. The boys walked over to their coach and sat down. 'What's up, coach?' Nathan asked. 'You better know what's up, or else there is something really wrong with you!' he said grumpy. 'We have a big game coming up tomorrow, and I want you to play the best you can. Or I swear that you won't play another game.' Some of the guys started laughing. 'This is not a joke!' he yelped. 'We have an undefeated season so far, and I don't know about you, but I want to keep it that way!' 'Coach, we know that this is an important game. Why do you think that we are running our asses off?' Tim said. Whitey smiled. 'Then just keep running. Because if you lose, that will be exactly what you will be doing, because that will mean the end of our season. No play offs!' He sighed. 'Go take a shower, we did enough for today.'  
The cheerleaders were also done, and walked back to the dressing rooms. But before they could go, Brooke held a little speech of her own. 'You heard it. This game is important for the team. And it's our job to encourage them. If we don't do that, they lose, and it will be your fault! Get it?' Everyone remained silent. 'Good. You can go now.'  
They all grabbed their bags and walked away. 'Are you coming?' Haley asked and looked at Peyton. Surprised, Peyton got up and walksedaway with Brooke and Haley. 'How was your first day?' Haley asked. 'I hope it was not too bad.' 'No, not at all. It was nothing like I expected.' At that moment three guys walked out of the dressing-room. Peyton only knew Lucas. One of the guys walked up to Brooke and kissed her. He was a little shorter than Lucas, but didn't look special. The other guy walked up to Haley and pressed a kiss on her forehead. He was taller than Lucas and just like the other guy, his hair was dark.

'Oh, Peyton, this is my brother Nathan', Lucas explained and pointed at Nathan. He looked at her and smiled. 'Hi.' 'And this is my gorgeous boyfriend, Jake', Brooke told her and kissed him again. It was hard for Brooke and Jake to keep their hands off of each other, and the same applied for Nathan and Haley. 'Okay, this is getting a little bit uncomfortable', Lucas joked. 'I think I'm gonna go.' The two couples laughed. Lucas winked at them and then walked away. 'Hey wait up!' Peyton yelled. 'I'm coming with you!' She ran after him and jumped him from behind.  
Haley looked from Lucas and Peyton to Brooke. 'Maybe she's the one that can make him forget about Danneel', she said. 'Yeah, maybe..'

* * *

Lucas arrived at his house, and saw his mother standing in front of the window. She looked worried. 'Hey ma, what's wrong?' he asked concerned. 'Nothing', Karen answered. 'Are you sure?' His mom smiled. 'I'm sure.' Together they walked back inside. 'How was school?' she asked. Lucas shrugged. 'There's a new girl. Peyton Sawyer.' She turned around. 'A new girl?' Lucas nodded. 'And?' she asked curious. 'And nothing. She's nice, okay.' 'Okay. If you say so.' She laughed and walked with her coffee to the table. But Lucas stood up and walks to his room. 'Where are you going?' 'My room!' he yelled back.

He opened the door, walked in and dropped himself on his bed. He closed his eyes and thought back to what happened today. No one had mentioned Danneel to him anymore. Not since two months ago. Of course everyone thought about her, but no one actually said anything. A stinging pain came up and a single tear rolled out of his eye. He got up and took a photo album out of his drawer. Then he walked back to his bed. He opened it and took a good look at the first picture. Him and Danneel, a week before the accident. They were so happy together. He never imagined that anything bad would happen to her. He loved her so much. They had always been good friends, until Lucas told her that he wanted more. The tears welled up in his eyes again. He didn't notice his mom coming in. 'Luke, are you okay?' she asked concerned and sat down next to him. Then she noticed the album he was staring at. 'Lucas..' She couldn't bring out a word, but the sorrow of her son's first loss cut like a razor-sharp knife through her heart. It was a long time ago she saw him this miserable.

'I wasn't ready yet', he suddenly said. 'For what, honey?' 'It was too soon.' He turned to his mother. 'It was too soon. I wasn't ready to lose her yet.' 'It was her time, Lucas.' 'No, it was not!' He jumped up and raised his voice. 'It was not her time, mom! She was only seventeen! How could it be her time?!' She stayed quiet. 'I miss her so much, mom. Every day I come at school and I have to look at those pictures, knowing that we will never be together again. Knowing that she will never walk into my room anymore. And it hurts. I lost her for good.' She stood up and takes him in her arms. 'You'll never lose her for good. She might not be here with you anymore, but..' She puts her hand on his heart. 'She will always be here. You will never forget her. You hear me?' Lucas nodded as the tears were flowing over his face. Karen walked back to the kitchen to get him a glass of water. 'What happened today at school, Lucas?' she asked when she comes back. 'Peyton Sawyer.' He sighed. 'We were walking through the halls and then she saw a picture of Danneel. She started to ask questions, and it all came back to me. It was horrible.' He takes a sip of his water. Karen kept looking at him, until she heard someone coming through the front door. It was her husband. 'Hi, Karen. Luke.' He gave her a kiss and took a look at Lucas. 'What is going on around here?' he asked, getting worried. They both didn't answer. 'I have to get out of here, mom. I have to go outside.' Karen nodded and Lucas stood up to go outside.  
'What happened here?' he asked again. 'What happened? Where have you been the last four months?' she exclaimed. 'Our son's girlfriend died, and he is torn up about it, and you are wondering what happened?' 'I'm sorry, Karen. I should've known.' He sat down. 'It's just - I haven't heard him about her the past two months anymore, Keith', she said after she calmed down. 'But then there is this new girl at school and suddenly our son is crying on his bed.' Keith listened. 'He has to get over this some day, Keith. I know that it isn't easy. But it breaks my heart seeing him like this.' He took her hands and looked deep into her eyes. 'It will get better, Karen. I promise you.' 'How? Everywhere in his room there is stuff that reminds him of her. Pictures, video tapes, sound recordings. How can he ever forget about her?' Karen sounded desperate, and Keith tried to calm her down. 'I don't know, honey. We have to give him time.'

Peyton drove home with a strange feeling in her stomach. Something was bothering her. It was only her first day at school and already she managed it to say the wrong thing. And that with the first guy she got in contact with. Lucas might have said that he didn't care, but she knew that he was lying. When her mother died she told everyone that it didn't matter that they kept bringing her up. But the truth was that every time she had to hear how much everyone would miss Anna Sawyer, she felt a terrible pain deep inside. She hadn't slept for days, because every night she played it over and over in her mind. Her mother's death was her fault. If she had just called her five minutes earlier, she would still be here.  
But she couldn't think like that anymore. It happened, and she couldn't change it. But still, she would never get over that pain. But she didn't want to either. But she was afraid that maybe in a few years, she won't remember Anna Sawyer anymore. She could hardly remember her already. She wondered how it would be in a few years.

Because she sunk deep in her thoughts, she didn't see that she already arrived at her own house. She quickly hit the breaks and got out.  
'I'm home!' she yelled when she steps foot into the house. Her father came down the stairs. 'And?' he asked curious. 'How was it?' Peyton shrugged. 'The same. The same as back there.' They walk to the kitchen. Her father kept looking at her, his eyes filled with questions. 'You know, cheerleading, reading, learning..' 'Oh, so it wasn't horrible?' She shook her head. She didn't want to worry him. 'But I have to do some home work, so if you don't mind?' 'No, of course. Go to your room', Larry says. Peyton got up to walk to her room. 'Peyton?' She turned around. 'I'm glad you're happy.' She smiled weak and walked to her room.  
"Happy", that was such an overloaded word. It's not like she didn't like it there. She already had amazing new friends, and she was back cheering. But she couldn't help feeling bad for Lucas. She got her drawing stuff and layed down on her bed. She always tried to draw when something was bothering her, and this time was no different. It wasn't quite obvious what she was drawing until she was done and looked at it. She drew Lucas and herself looking at a picture of Danneel. She didn't see the picture that long, but it was already engraved in her mind. Lucas had a sad look on his face and she was apologizing. The tag was; 'It does matter!' She kept staring at the picture for a couple of minutes, but then she ripped it out of her sketch-book and hung it on her wall, next to all her other sketches. Then she let her head rest on her pillow and closed her eyes.

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**This was the first chapter. As you can read, they are all the same person as in the show. They like the same things and they will have the same friendships later on. The only thing that is different is Jake and Brooke together. I thought it would be a nice mix up. Please let me know what you think of it. I really hope you liked it.**

Next: Peyton and Lucas get an assignment, causing them to grow closer to each other.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Same Deep Water as you  
Chapter 2**

**A/N: I want to thank everyone who has been reviewing my story. They mean a lot to me. **

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The next morning a loud voice woke her up. 'Peyton, I'm leaving! Make sure you get up on time. You don't want to be late on your second day!' Not long after that, she heard the door slam closed. She opened her eyes, still drowsy. Luckily she had the first hour to sleep late, but it was now already nine o'clock. Slowly she got out of bed and walked to the bath room. She took off her clothes and stepped into the shower. After that she started to dress herself. She took a cursory glance at the clock, 9.45 a.m. She quickly ran down the stairs, grabbed her bag and rushed out the door. As quickly as possible she got into her car and drove to school. It was only the second day and she was late again! But then she arrived at school, and to her surprise everyone was still standing in the hallway. She sighed relieved and put her books in her locker, and walked to her classroom. She didn't even set two steps into the room, when Brooke showed up next to her.

'Hey Goldilocks', she said eager. Peyton laughs. 'Hey Brooke.' 'Okay, I wanted to ask you something. I mean, after all, what do we know about you?' 'Who is "we"?' Peyton asked suspicious. Brooke shrugged and smiled mysteriously. 'Me, Haley, the other girls from the cheerleading squad, Nathan.. Lucas!' 'Well what do you want to know?' Peyton asked, ignoring Brooke's insinuation to her and Lucas. 'Maybe what you were like on your old school. How you are like at home, if you had any boyfriends, although I'm not sure if Lucas and Nathan want to know.' Peyton smiled. 'You did have boyfriends, didn't you?' 'Yes, Brooke.' 'Phew.' 'And I'd love to tell you more about it, but maybe later, okay? We have class now.' Brooke looked up, surprised to see that they were in front of their classroom. 'Oh, yeah. Sure.' They moved to their seats. 'Okay, guys,' the teacher started. 'Today we will discuss the history of-' He couldn't finish his sentence, because he got cut off by the phone. He picked it up, nodded a few times and then hung up again. 'Peyton Sawyer, principal Turner wants to see you.'  
She got up and walked away. Principal Turner's office was on the other end of the school. When she walked past the lockers she saw someone hastily tossing his stuff in his locker. 'We really have to stop meeting like this', she joked. 'You late?' Lucas turned around and smiled. 'Hey Peyton. You know, as I recall I asked you the same thing yesterday.' Peyton laughed. 'Where are you off to?' The smile on her face dropped. 'Principal Turner wants to see me. This is only my second day', she groaned. 'Did I do something wrong? I don't think so..' Lucas smirked. 'He probably just wants to say welcome to the school. Don't worry. You'll be fine.' 'Yeah, you're probably right. But still..' Lucas held onto her arms and made her look at him. 'Hey, don't worry.' Peyton nodded. 'Good. Now, if you don't mind, I have to go. I'll see you at practice.' He closed his locker and ran away. Peyton continued to walk towards principal Turner's office.

She finally found the courage to open the door. A man behind a desk stares at her. He doesn't look angry, he looks friendly. 'Hello Peyton.' They shook hands and he motioned her to the chair across him. 'I'm principal Turner. I'd like to welcome you to Tree Hill High.' She sighed relieved. 'Do you like it here?' 'I do', she replied. 'Good. Now, I would like to talk to your father. To explain him how this school works. I know we already did that a few weeks ago, but I would like to do it again. Can you tell him that?' 'Of course. I will tell him as soon as I come home', she ensured him. 'Good.' There was a brief silence which made her only more nervous. 'Do you already have friends?' he ultimately asked. She nodded. 'Brooke Davis asked me to join the cheerleaders, and they are all very nice. Just like the basketball players.' 'That's good to hear. I think you will like it here.' 'I hope so.' The man kept staring at her for a few seconds and then told her to go.

When she stepped into the class again, she looked at Lucas. She could see that he wanted to know what happened, but she only smiles and walked back to her seat. 'Good to see that you joined us again, Peyton', the teacher said. 'Now I can finally tell you all what I've been wanting to tell. I am going to give you a assignment. For this assingment you will be divided into groups of two. The two of you will spend every waken hour with each other outside of school, to find out everything about the other person. At the end of the assignment you will write an essay about the other person. It will not be about what the other person likes or does every day. It's about how the other person is. Not what he does, but how he does it. The assignment will take all year.' Everyone sighed. 'I'm glad to hear you all like it so much', he joked. 'But maybe you will be glad to hear that you are allowed to make the pairs. But remember, it will be graded.'  
Peyton looked at Brooke, but saw that she and Haley already decided that they would do this together, and the same was for Nathan and Jake. She looked around and saw Lucas coming her way.  
'You look pretty lonely.' Peyton raised an eyebrow. 'So.. are we gonna do this together?' he asked. Peyton shrugged. 'I don't know. You tell me.' 'We are going to do this together!' He grinned and gazed into her eyes, but when the buzzer goes off, he disappeared.

It was only the second day, and already it was very different from the day before. Instead of sitting at an empty table, she could now sit with Lucas and the others. They were talking about the assignment.  
'It sucks pretty much, doesn't it', Nathan told them. Brooke shrugged and looked at Haley. 'We already know everything about each other, so that shouldn't be a problem.' Jake smiled and held on tighter to her. 'What about you?' Haley said. 'You play together, you are good friends. This shouldn't be so hard for the two of you, right?' Nathan nodded and looked at Lucas. 'It sucks that you have to work with Peyton, doesn't it?' Haley hit him. 'Nathan!' 'No, I didn't mean it like that.' Peyton started to laugh. 'What I meant was, that you don't know anything about her. And Peyton doesn't know anything about you.' 'It's okay, we'll figure something out', Lucas responded. 'Well you better do it fast, because um.. you know?' 'Jake, we have all year for this.' 'I know I just thought, that..'. He stopped mid-sentence when he saw that they started laughing. 'I was just trying to warn them.' 'It's okay, babe', Brooke whispered and kissed him. 'Oh, Peyton. I wanted to ask you something, remember?' Brooke said mysterious. 'What is it?' 'Remember that I said that we wanted to know everything about you, but you said that it had to wait? Well, I waited and we want to know now', Brooke explained. 'Oh right.. Well, what do you want to know?' All of the sudden she was overwhelmed with questions. _Do you have a boyfriend? Where exactly did you live? Was it hard to leave your friends and family behind. What are your parents like?_  
'Which one do I have to answer first?' she laughed. Again Brooke took the lead. 'Do you have a boyfriend, back in Oak Land?' Peyton shook her head. 'Just broke up with my boyfriend Jess.. Well, he's my ex now, but you know what I mean.' 'Why? I mean, why did you break up?' Brooke wanted to know.' Peyton looked down. 'I'm not sure actually. Jess and I were together for almost two years, and then suddenly he disappeared. Never heard of him again.' 'What an ass!' Peyton laughed, but looked away coz deep down felt the same way. 'So, you're alone now?' Peyton nodded. Brooke's eyes widened. 'How do you keep up?' Peyton started to laugh. 'I'm a little bit more on my own, I guess.' 'Wow, I couldn't even last a day without Nathan', Haley said. 'And we can all see that', Jake mocked. 'Look who's talking! You and Brooke can't keep your hands off of each other!' Everyone started laughing. 'So what are your parents like?' Haley suddenly asked. Peyton looked away for a moment. 'My dad, he is the best. I mean, he's away a lot for his job, but he loves me and he takes care of me. He makes sure that I'm not alone, even when I am.' Peyton looked up and saw that they didn't understand her. 'My mom died when I was eight..' Lucas looked up in shock, but didn't say anything. 'Oh God, I'm so sorry.' 'It's okay, you couldn't know.' Peyton looked at Lucas, but noticed he was awfully quiet. He didn't really pay attention to what everyone was saying.  
Then they went back to class, and Lucas quickly got up to walk away. She didn't have a chance to ask him what was wrong, but she would ask him the next time. 'Hey Peyton, are you coming?' Brooke asked. 'Oh yeah, sure!' Peyton - who awakened from her thoughts - replied. She got her bag and walked away with Brooke and Haley.

'So um.. it must be really hard without your mom around', Haley said. Peyton nodded sadly. 'Why did you move to Tree Hill?' Brooke asked. 'I mean, you already lost your mom, and then you also had to lose your friends..' 'I didn't mind. Don't get me wrong, I had some good friends there, but I have feeling that I already have better ones here.' 'What do you mean?' 'There, everything was about basketball, cheerleading and popularity. I hope it's different here.' Haley and Brooke smiled and put their arms around her. 'Don't worry, Goldilocks', Brooke ensured her.

Peyton couldn't pay attention to what her teacher was saying. She kept thinking about Lucas. She thought that he was alright, but then all of the sudden he changed. She probably said something wrong when she started about her mom, but she couldn't know for sure. She wanted to know so bad.

It seemed like class lasted an hour, but finally she could get up and walk away. 'Hey Peyton, wait up!' Brooke yelled. 'Sorry, I have to go. I'll see you at cheer practice, okay?'  
She walked into the classroom and looked for Lucas, but he was nowhere to be found. She's afraid that maybe he went home sick, but then he walked through the door. She was about to walk up to him to ask him what was going on before, but he acted normal again. He laughed, he was talking. She couldn't ask him now. Then he would like at her like she was crazy. Then he walks up to her. 'I've been thinking about that assignment, and I thought that maybe - if you wanted to - could come over tonight? After practice, of course.' 'Um, yeah. Sure', she answered hesitating. Lucas smiled satisfied and turned around again.  
Okay, that was weird, she thought to herself. Just an hour ago, he was acting really strange, but now he seemed okay again. She waved it off. Maybe she had to stop thinking about it. She should be happy to know that he was okay. She decided to drop it and focus back on what the teacher said.

They just finished cheer practice, and the three of them were walking out of the gym. 'Where'd you go earlier? You seemed like you were in a hurry.' 'Oh nothing. I had to take care of some stuff..' 'Okay, if you say so.' 'So', Haley started. She had a playful look in her eyes 'Now your Lucas' partner, the two of you will be spending a lot of time together, right?' Brooke and Haley giggled. 'Okay, what is wrong? Every time you talk about Lucas you're acting like he's a psycho killer or something', Peyton noticed. 'If something is wrong with him you have to tell me now.' 'No, no. Nothing is wrong', Haley said and sat down. 'So what are you doing in like.. an hour?' Brooke wondered. 'Lucas asked me to come over. For the assignment', she explained. Haley and Brooke looked at each other in shock, but then started laughing again. 'That's um.. great.' 'Yeah.. Are you sure you don't need to tell me something?' Brooke shook her head. 'Nope.'

Then Lucas walked out of the gym. 'Are you ready?' Peyton got up. 'Yeah.' She followed him. 'I hope you don't mind, but we have to walk home', Lucas said. 'My car broke down. But my house isn't that far away.' 'Oh it's okay. It gives me the chance to look around. I haven't been much further than my house, the school and the streets in between.' Lucas laughed. 'Do you like it here? I mean, I can imagine that you wanted to stay in Oak Land. Sounds like you had a pretty good life.' Peyton shrugged. 'Maybe. Maybe I had a good life, but I never felt like I belonged, you know?' Lucas frowned and looked away. 'And besides, change is good.' Then he looked up again. 'Can I ask you something?' he asked. She nodded. 'Why are you a cheerleader? No offence or anything, but you're about the least cheery person I know.' Peyton smiled sadly. 'My mom was a cheerleader. And I guess I just wanted her to be proud of me.' 'Well I don't know you that well yet, but I think that she has enough to be proud of.' Peyton turned red. She never could take compliments well.  
It got quiet, but finally they arrived at his house. 'Welcome to the Scott residence', Lucas said and took a bow. Peyton laughed and looked at the house. It wasn't excessively large, but it looked cosy and big enough for his family. Together they walked inside.

'Mom, Dad. I brought someone.' Karen looked surprised to see a girl standing in front of her. 'And who is this?' Peyton stepped forward. 'Hi, I'm Peyton Sawyer. Nice to meet you.' Karen smiled and looked at Keith. 'Peyton, huh? I'm Karen, and this is my husband Keith Scott. We heard a lot about you.' Peyton turned to Lucas, who looked embarresed. 'Only good things, I hope?' she asked when she turned back. 'Of course.' Karen gave Lucas a questioning look. 'We have to do something for school.' 'Oh, okay. Well, good luck.' Karen and Keith smiled at each other and turned around again. Lucas looked at Peyton. 'Come on, my bedroom is that way.' Keith and Karen looked at them, surprised to see that Lucas was taking another girl to his bedroom.

When Peyton stepped into his room, she suddenly didn't feel comfortable anymore. Everywhere where she looked there were pictures of Danneel, or stuff she knew belonged to her. It seemed weird that Lucas kept all of it. When her mom died she put all that stuff away, in boxes. She only kept a few photo's and a sweater her mom used to wear. She shrugged it off and walked over to Lucas. 'So do you have any idea how we are suppose to do this?' she asked, pretending to care about the assignment they got. He gave her a confused look. 'For the assignment?' 'Oh, right.' While Peyton sat down on his bed, he walked over to his drawers and pulled out a manuscript. Then he walked back to her and handed it over. It read: 'An unkindness of Ravens.' 'I thought since we have to do this assignment, we had to get to know each other better. At least then we really knew each other before we ran into each others rooms every day.' 'Every day?' she laughed. 'Well, maybe not every day, but.. you know what I mean.' Peyton looked down at the manuscript. 'What is this?' she asked and flipped through it. 'It's my book. Well at least, what I wrote so far.' 'Wow, Luke. It looks really good', she said excited after she read the first two pages. 'Why thank you. It's not finished though. I have to add a whole new chapter now.' He stared at her, but quickly looked away when she caught him staring. 'I thought that maybe you could read it. It's about my life. And hopefully it makes you understand me more.' Peyton nodded. 'That's a great idea. Um.. I have something for you, too. It's at home, though.' 'That's okay. What is it?' 'I draw.. It's just like your book. I draw about everything that happens in my life and it makes me feel better. So maybe I can give you a few of those drawings, and help you try to understand my life more.' Lucas nodded, but then remembered something. 'Why didn't you tell me about your mom?' Peyton was shocked, but answers him anyway. 'Because you were sad about Danneel. I mean of course you were. But I didn't want to make it about me by telling you about my mom.' 'How did she die?' Lucas asked then. Peyton looked away. 'A car accident', she whispered cautiously. Lucas took a deep breath. 'You acted like you had no idea of how it felt to lose someone you loved, but you do know', he said. He looked pained. 'I'm sorry, Lucas.' She looked at him his eyes were pleading for the whole story. 'It has been eleven years since she died, but it seems like just yesterday.' She thought back to that horrible day. 'She was driving to school to pick me up. She was late, so she ran a red light. And somebody else's mom ran into her. I mean, she went to the hospital, but she died. It was one light at the wrong split second and it ended for her.' 'It must be hard for you thinking back to that.' Peyton nodded. 'Night after night I play it over in my head, thinking about what I could've done to prevent it.' Lucas frowned. 'And that is?' 'I could've called her earlier, I could've taken the the bus. Walk home, I don't know!' She looked away. 'I'm sorry.' 'So how did you get over it? Losing someone you love?' Peyton looked deep into his eyes and realised that she didn't have an answer to that question. 'Can I let you know when I do?' she said carefully. Lucas nodded, slightly disappointed. 'Losing someone when your young must be awful.' 'It was horrible. But I think it's different from what you are going through. I think it's like chicken pox, you know?' he looked at her, confused, causing Peyton to laugh. 'When you get them when you're young, they suck, but when you don't get them when you're young, you get them when you're older, and it's much more serious.' Lucas nodded again. 'But that doesn't mean I don't miss her every day.' She looked around. 'I held onto a lot of stuff of her', she said, referring to all Danneel's stuff. 'At first I kept everything that belonged to her. I even slept with it. But then I realised that it only made me think of her more, and so I put a lot of it in boxes. And sometimes I look at it. You know, when I miss her the most, because it comforts me. But there are days when I look at her picture, and it already makes me feel better.' Peyton smiled. 'I'm sorry, you don't want to know all this.' 'No, no. It's nice to know that there is someone else out there who knows what it's like to lose someone important. It makes me feel less alone.' Peyton smiled nervously and looked away.

'So.. I guess you never did this back in Oak Land.' 'What's that?' 'Hang out with at a guy's house after knowing him for only two days.' 'You know me too well', she smiled. Lucas laughed. 'No, but really, this is the first time I do this. That doesn't mean that I never spend time at a boy's house, by the way. They invite me in all the time', she told him, sounding a little stuck-up. 'And why is that?' 'Oh, I don't know. Maybe because they are so overwhelmed by my cuteness.' 'You really think you're cute?' he teased. Peyton shrugged. 'What can I say. I'm irresistable.' Lucas errupts into laughter. 'I mean, why else did you ask me to come over?' 'Well, I will tell you. Yesterday we got this weird assignment at school, and we had to find out everything about each other, and stupid me, I wanted to get a good grade.' Peyton laugeds. 'Keep telling yourself that.' Lucas laughed and stares at her. It had been a long time since he felt this comfortable with a girl that wasn't Haley. Peyton thought about how glad she was that she came. Lucas seemed so different from all the other guys she had ever met. Maybe it was because he went through something terrible.  
'Where's your head at, Peyton?' he asked. 'Me? I'm all over the place.' She looked at the clock. 'I was just wondering how the others were doing.' 'Ha, Brooke and Haley are probably teaching each other some cheer moves, and Jake and Nathan are probably talking about basketball.' 'So.. we are actually the only ones who are really trying?' she smirked. 'That is most likely.' Lucas noticed that she was a little uncomfortable. 'But you can go home if you want.' 'No! It's not that I want to get out of here, it's just.. It's getting pretty late, and um, my dad is all alone in a new house.' 'Oh, that's right. Do you want me to take you home?' 'With what? Your car? It broke down remember?' 'I'm sure I can borrow my parent's car. Come on.' He got up. 'No, it's okay. I'll be fine.' 'You sure? I'll be glad to do it.' She smiled. He was really cute when he worried about her. 'No, it's okay. My house isn't that far away.' She got up and walked to the living room. 'Bye Mr. and Mrs. Scott. It was nice meeting you.' 'Are you already leaving?' Keith asked surprised. 'Yeah, it's getting late. But I'll be back soon.' She waved them goodbye and then walked back to Lucas. 'I'll be seeing you.'  
_  
__"As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much, much more than a moment. Then gradually time awakened again and moved sluggishly on."_

Then she walked away, leaving him following her with only his eyes.

* * *

**This was the second chapter. Maybe some of you recognize some of the parts. That is because some of it is from OTH itself, but I changed it up a little bit, and parts are from Peyton's Podcast. Anyways, I'd really like to know what you thought about it. Reviews are always welcome.**

Next; Peyton and Lucas get more personal with each other. Some Peyton/Brooke/Haley friendship, and Haley/Lucas. 


	3. Chapter 3

****

The Same Deep Water as you  
Chapter 3

A/N; Thanks again to everyone who reads my story and who reviews it. You have no idea how good it makes me feel to know that there are people out there that enjoy my stories. Thank you.

* * *

.. 'Let's do this little brother', Lucas said. He pats Nathan on his back and they headed to their spots on the court.  
'Okay this is it', the announcer said. 'Hundreds of people stand in unison as the Ravens need a basket to tie and force overtime, or a three pointer to win it. Nathan Scott has the ball out top. Twenty seconds left. What's it gonna be?'  
Nathan looked at Lucas and grinned. 'Ten seconds on the clock now. He kicks it to Jake. Only five seconds left. Jake passes back to Nathan. He has it. Nathan Scott drives to the hoop! He passes to Lucas for a three and the win!'  
Lucas shot the ball towards the hoop. There were terrified looks on everyone's faces. The ball headed to the hoop slower - slower - and he nailed it!  
The crowd jumped up and the cheerleaders were going wild. All the players ran up to Lucas. Whitey smiled at the boys.

Peyton got up when she saw Lucas walking out of the gym. 'Hey!' Lucas turned around. 'Hey! How'd you like the game?' 'It was amazing! Nice shot by the way!' Lucas grinned. 'Nice legs, little chickeny, though.' 'Shut up, dude!' She playfully hit him. They both started laughing. 'Anyways, I was waiting for you because I wanted to ask you if you wanted to hang out, or something.' Lucas looked at her and smiled surprised. 'Sure, what do you want to do?' She shrugged. 'We could walk around, and then maybe we could talk?' Lucas nodded and they started walking.  
'So, what is this thing with you and Nathan? He is your half-brother, right?' 'Right..' 'You seem pretty close.' 'We are', Lucas responded. 'We haven't always been, though. Um.. Keith, is not my biological father. He is Dan's brother. And Dan is my father and also Nathan's. But he left me and my mom when he found out she got pregnant.' 'Okay, I don't follow.' Lucas laughed. 'When my mom was in high school, she and Dan were in love and she got pregnant. But Dan Scott was a ballplayer, too. And he thought his career was more important than his family. So he abandoned her, us. My mom fell in love with Keith, and he adopted me. Then Dan met Deb, Nathan's mom. They fell in love, they got married and they got Nathan. And this time Dan decided to stick with them. Then they moved back to Tree Hill were me and my mom were.' Talking about it made it seem so easy, but it obviously was still hard for him to think about it. A father who didn't want him. He sighed before continuing. 'At first I hated Nathan, because he thought that because he was Dan Scott's son, he was allowed to do anything.' 'But you were Dan Scott's son, too. Didn't he know that?' 'Yeah, he did. But Dan never recognized me as his son, and he did with Nathan, so.. Anyway, then I got to know Nathan better, and I found out that he didn't have the perfect life he said he had. Dan was treating him and his mother terrible, and so Deb divorced him.' 'Where is he now?' Lucas looked down. 'Gone. He moved away, and we haven't seen or spoken to him since.' Peyton sighed. 'I thought my life was messed up.' Lucas laughed.

For the first time Peyton looked around and noticed that they were in a place she had never seen before. 'What is this?' she asked. Her eyes couldn't part from the court with a beautiful view. Lucas grins. 'My life.' She looked up. Lucas' smile lit up his face. 'This is where I played before I joined the Ravens. I spent every hour around here with my friends. Skills - he joined the Ravens now, too. Mouth - he was the announcer from before. And Junk and Fergie.' 'It's beautiful, Luke.' 'Yeah, it is', he agreed. 'So why'd you take me here?' she asked. He shrugged. 'This place is very important to me. I thought it would be useful to know, y'know? For the assignment?' 'Oh, that's right!' He motioned to the bleachers and they sat down. Peyton looked up at the stars. She felt Lucas' eyes scanning her, and it made her nervous. 'Stop it!' She laughed. She looked over to him, he didn't seem to understand. 'What?' 'You, looking at me. Stop it!' Lucas turned red and looked away. 'I wasn't looking at you... was I?' Peyton erupted into laughter. 'Yeah, you kinda were.' Lucas smirked. 'Well, I'm sorry. It won't happen again.'  
After a few minutes of just staring at the sky, Peyton got up and walked away. 'Whoa, where are you going?' he asked confused. Peyton smiled mysteriously. 'Come with me.' She opened the door to her room. 'My dad is gone for a few months, so I'm home alone.' Lucas studied her face, trying to discover what she was thinking. 'So what do you think?' He looked confused. 'My room. What do you think about my room?' Now Lucas looked around and was amazed by what he saw in there. A big poster on her wall, a closet filled with records, and a lot of drawings on the wall. 'This is pretty awesome', he said. 'Yeah, it is', she agrees. 'Did you do those drawings?' She nodded triumphantly. 'Oh, and wait! I have something for you.' She walked up to her drawers and got her sketch-book out of it. She handed it over to Lucas. 'This is for you. For school.' Lucas wanted to flip through it, but she wouldn't let him. 'Do it when I'm not around, okay?' she asked. Lucas saw that she was a little insecure about her drawings. He nodded and sat down on her bed. 'So you draw. What else do you do, Peyton?' She looked around in her room. 'I grew up being pretty lonely, you know? My dad wasn't around much, so it was pretty much just me. But then I found comfort in music. Every time my life seems to fall apart, I find this new music that I can sink into for a few days.' Lucas listened and a well-known feeling comes back. A warm feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time, and he didn't quite know what to do with it.  
'Like last time', Peyton continued, 'when my dad suddenly decided to move, I thought to myself; Okay, this is it! This is the end of my life.' Lucas chuckled. 'Isn't that a little over dramatic?' 'No!' she exclaimed. She laughed. 'Anyway, on our way to Tree Hill, I heard this song on the radio, called Stolen by Dashboard Confessional. You know it?' Lucas shook his head. Peyton widened her eyes. 'How can you not know it? It's beautiful!' Lucas bowed his head down, but then looked back into her eyes. 'Maybe you can let me hear it some other time?' Peyton looked away to hide a smile. She didn't want to say that she could play the song for him right now, because then she wouldn't have an excuse for him to come back. 'Sure.' There's a brief silent. Then she looked up to him and gazed into his eyes. 'Maybe you can stop by tomorrow?'

Lucas knocks on the door, but no one answered. Loud music was playing inside, so he figured that she couldn't hear him. He tried to open the door, and to his surprise it was open. It didn't feel right to him, and he grew concerned. He kept calling her name, but still, no answer. He ran to the living room to see if she was there, but she wasn't. Then he ran to the kitchen, but tripped over a couple of pizza boxes that were lying on the floor. Peyton turned around and started to laugh. 'Yeah, very funny!' Lucas moaned when he tried to get up. 'I'm sorry!' Peyton walked over to him and helped him. She held in a smirk. 'I'm so sorry, Lucas!' He scanned the place. 'What are you doing? This place is a mess!' He picked up a pizzabox and looked at her. She walked into the kitchen. 'I was trying to keep busy, until you got here.' 'With pizza?' 'I was hungry!' she said defensively. He spotted a bunch of cheese pizzas and one with pickles and bologna and bananas on it. 'What is _that_?' he pointed at the pizza and pulled a dirty face. 'That is disgusting!' Peyton started to laugh. 'No, actually they are really good.' 'Yeah, I'm sure.' 'Me and my dad used to make them all the time, after my mom died. He couldn't cook, so he bought a few pizzas and let me put my own toppings on them.' 'And you actually ate them?' Peyton nodded. 'I thought maybe you could help me, and later we could eat them?' she asked carefully. 'Are you trying to poison me?' he teased. She touched her hair and shrugged. 'Maybe.' Lucas laughed and joined her in the kitchen. 'Okay, so what do I have to do?' Peyton smiled and handed him a pizza.

Peyton laid down her pizza and looked at Lucas. 'Okay, tell me something. Something no one else knows.' Lucas sighed. 'Something no one knows, huh. Hmmm..' He smiled for a minute, but then he looked at her, and his smile faded. 'Two weeks ago I was at the Rivercourt, as usual. But then all of the sudden, Dan shows up.' Peyton looked shocked. 'What did he want?' Lucas shrugged. 'He said he wanted to be in our lives! Mine and my mom's.' 'What did you do?' she asked cautiously. 'I told him that we didn't need him in our lives, that we had Keith now. And that Keith was more of a father to me than he had ever been, and that my mom was in love with him. And I told him that Nathan didn't need him, either. Because he had Haley now. But then last week I heard Nathan and Haley talk about him. And Nathan said that he couldn't believe that Dan left again, and he wanted to know where he was. Because even though Dan did something wrong, he was still his father.' 'Why didn't you tell him that you knew where he was?' Lucas looked up. 'I don't know, Peyton!' he yelled. 'I sent him away, but I didn't ask him where he was going. And now Nathan wants to know where he is, and he can't because I sent him away.' 'Luke, don't do this to yourself. You did what you thought was right at that moment.' 'But it wasn't!' 'You didn't know that then. Lucas, he hurt your mom, he hurt you and Nathan. No wonder you wanted him out of your life.' 'Still, I shouldn't have made that decision on my own. It's not just about me. It's about Nathan, Keith and my mom, too.' Peyton shrugged. 'So? What if he did come back and he turned out to be the exact same person he was before? He would hurt everyone all over again. Lucas, you did the right thing. You were protecting the ones you love, and you might not think of it that way, but it is the truth.' Lucas nodded, trying to accept the truth.

'So, these pizza's are actually really good', Lucas laughed, changing the subject to lighten up the mood. Peyton chuckled. 'Told you. I knew you couldn't resist them.' Lucas stopped laughing and stared at her while she was eating her last piece of pizza. _God, he felt so good when he was around her. He felt as if he had known her his whole life. He felt comfortable and strong, something he hadn't felt in a long time. _  
'So um.. you told me about a song?' Lucas said, trying his best to hide those feelings from her. 'Oh yeah, right! It's in my room. I'll just throw these away, and then we'll go, okay?'

'Okay, here it is. I think it is a really great song, and I am very surprised you don't know it.' Lucas laughed and watched her put it on. He sat himself on her bed and she plopped down next to him. They both listened to the music.

**_We watch the season pull up it's on stakes  
we catch the last weekend of the last week  
when the gold and the glimmer have been replaced  
Another sun soaked season fades away_**

Peyton carefully turned to Lucas and smiled. His face had a big smile on it and it lit up his entire face.

**_You have stolen my heart  
You have stolen my heart_**

**Invitation only grand farewells  
Crush the best one, of the best ones  
Clear liquor and cloudy eyed  
to early to say goodnight**

Chris Carrabba's raw voice went away and the music faded. Peyton slowly looked over to Lucas. 'So what did you think?' He didn't response. 'It's good right?' 'It's amazing. It's somewhat dark, but it is really good.' 'I thought you might like it.' She smiled satisfied. Lucas took a cursory glance at the drawings on her wall and then walked towards her closet filled with music. 'It's all very dark, Peyton. I mean, you're all over the place with this music, but most of it is very dark. What's up with that?' Peyton shrugged. 'I like it.' He frowned. 'Like I said before, I can find comfort in that sort of music. It makes me feel like I'm not alone in what I feel. There are other people out there who feel the exact same way, and it makes me feel better.' 'And the drawings?' 'Sometimes I look at those drawings and I can relate to them, and I recognize the person that drew them. But sometimes I can't.' 'And how about today?' She smiled at him. 'Today's a good day.'

* * *

_One week later;_

'Popcorn?' Brooke squealed. 'Check!' Haley yelled back. 'Icecream?' Check!' 'Movies?' 'Check! Brooke, we have everything! Even the movies!' 'Okay, jeez!' Peyton laughed at her new friend, but then looked at the stack of movies they bought. 'Okay, explain it to me one more time. Why did we buy - no, let me rephrase that - why did I buy all these movies if we're not even going to watch them?' Haley shrugged. 'In case we get bored?' 'And tell me again why I had to buy them?' 'Because you're the new girl. Sorry.' Peyton laughed and took a sip of her drink. Then she noticed something shiny on Haley's finger. She took her hand and pulled it to her face. 'Is this what I think it is?' she asked and stared at the ring. Haley nodded. 'This is a wedding ring.' 'Yep.' Peyton looked up from the ring. 'You are married?' she asked bewildered. Again Haley nods, this time more triumphantly. 'No way!' Brooke started to laugh. 'To who?' Peyton teased. 'Ha, you're funny!' Peyton smiled. 'For how long?' 'A year I think.' 'Wow, how can I not have noticed? The ring is so shiny..' Haley looked at her. 'And beautiful. It is very beautiful', she quickly added. Haley pulled back. 'Thank you.' 'How was the wedding? Or better yet, how is it to be married?' 'It's amazing.' Haley sunk into thoughts. 'Every day I wake up, knowing that there is someone beside me who loves me. And Nathan is everything I dreamed about. He is handsome, funny, kind. Plus, he's really good in bed..' Peyton got up. 'Ugh. That is too much information.' Haley winked. 'But let's talk about the other Scott boy', Brooke suggested. 'The two of you are getting pretty close, huh?' Peyton looked away. 'I guess. It's all part of the assignment.' 'Riiight.' 'Okay, first of all. I don't think about Lucas in that way', she explained, but she was not sure if she was trying to convince Brooke and Haley as much as herself. 'And second of all, he's still in love with Danneel.' 'So? Okay, no offence or anything, but she's dead!' 'Brooke!' 'I'm sorry, but it's the truth, isn't it?' 'You cannot talk about her like that, Brooke', Peyton said, defending Lucas' heart in this. 'Yeah, she is dead, but Lucas still cares about her as if she was alive. You can't get over that in a few days.' 'But it has been four months now, Peyton.' Brooke looked at Haley for back-up. 'Hey, don't put me in the middle of this, okay!' 'But you know I'm right', Brooke whined. 'Lucas is my best friend, Brooke. And I understand him completely. He has to heal from this. And yes, I get where you're coming from. But you've gotta give him some time.' Brooke walked away with a sad expression in her eyes. 'I just want to see my friends happy, you know?' Peyton got up, too. 'I am happy, Brooke. I am here with you guys, and that is all I need for now.' Brooke sat down again. 'So stop pouting, and have some fun with us. Because that is the reason I came. I don't want to talk about Lucas', Peyton told her. Haley looks at her, wondering if she was telling the truth about her and Lucas. She quickly stopped staring when Peyton looked at her. '..Or anyone else for that matter.' Brooke sighed and then nodded reluctantly.

'So you kinda like us, huh?' she joked. Peyton chuckled. 'Yeah, you're okay I guess.' 'You guess? Oh, you are lucky ' They all started to laugh and let themselves fall on the bed.

* * *

'Hey Luke', Haley said when she walked into his room. Lucas looked up from his laptop. 'Hey Hales.' 'How are you doing?' she asked him referring to everything that happened. 'I'm fine.' He looked at her and saw the worried look on her face. 'Is that the only reason you came here?' Haley picked up the basketball that was on the floor. She nervously spinned it around in her hand. 'Yep, that was the only reason.' Lucas gave her a suspicious look. She hated it when he did that. 'Okay, there is something that I need to talk to you about, and I think you know what it is.' Lucas shook his head, confused. 'Peyton?' Lucas groaned. 'Why does everyone want to talk to me about her?' 'Lucas, there is something going on between the two of you.' 'No, there's not. We are friends, nothing more.' 'Oh, please Luke. Can't you see it? She really likes you. But she feels like she has to hide it, only because you can't get over Danneel.' 'Haley, that is not fair! I loved her.' 'And I know you did, Luke. But it has been four months now. Don't you think it's time to let it go?' 'How?' Lucas asked growing anger. 'I'm not telling you that you can't love her anymore. Or that you have to forget about her.' Lucas turned away. 'Lucas don't do this, okay? I don't want to fight with you, I am trying to help you. And there is something different about you when you're around Peyton. You seem happier. And as your best friend the only thing I want is to see you happy.' 'I am happy!' 'Could've fooled me', she said under her breath. 'Sometimes you have to have to let go off things, even though it hurts. She meant a lot to you, I know.' 'She meant the world to me.' Haley sighed, thinking that this is useless. 'I really think you need to talk to Peyton.' With that said she dropped the basketball on the floor and walked away, leaving Lucas behind.

**__**

2 weeks later**  
**_Peyton and Lucas were together almost every day. Not only because they had to, due to the assignment, but also because they really liked each other's company. And today was no different._ _Lucas had tried his best to forget all about his conversation with Haley, and so he never bothered to talk to Peyton about it. _

Peyton walked into his room. She still didn't feel comfortable in there, because of all the pictures and all the other stuff.  
'You've been hanging out with Haley and Brooke more, right?' Peyton nodded. 'It's surprising, actually. I never thought we'd become such good friends in this short amount of time.' 'And still you found out about Haley and Nathan being married only two weeks ago.' Lucas smirks. 'I can't believe you hadn't noticed already!' 'Well it's not like you told me!' 'So now it's my fault, huh?' She shrugged and send him a playful smile. Lucas got nervous and looked away.  
'So, um.. I'm gonna get something to drink, you want something, too?' Peyton nodded and Lucas walked away. She started to walk around in his room, looking more closely to the stuff that was lying around. It was amazing how much stuff in his room actually belonged to Danneel. At a certain point she found a videotape with Danneel's name on it. She picked it up and caught a glimpse of some sort of photo album in Lucas' drawers. She hesitated before opening his drawer. A shiny red album caught her attention. She looked at the first page. It was a picture of Lucas and Danneel in front of a big building. Lucas was staring at the camera and apparently she took him by surprise by kissing him. Peyton started to flip through the album and figured it was some kind of tribute to her.

'Where did you find that?' she suddenly heard behind her. She turned around and accidentally drops the album. 'I um - I saw, found. I didn't..' She realised that there was no way out of this. 'You didn't what?' Lucas asks enraged. 'I'm sorry, Lucas. I didn't mean to snoop around. I just - It caught my attention.' 'It was in my drawer, Peyton. You must have been looking in there.' She sighed. 'You have no right to look there.' 'I know, but I was just looking at all the pictures in your room and the videotapes, and then I saw the album.' Lucas shook his head. 'Lucas, I just think it's..' she stopped to come up with an appropriate word. But then realised there was no right word for this, and that it was most likely that she would hurt him by saying this. 'Weird.. You have all this stuff that reminds you of Danneel.' 'So?' 'You are going to hate me for saying this, but I really think you're being a little obsessed.' Lucas turned away, he felt like he already had this conversation two weeks ago. 'It's not healthy to hold onto this stuff. You think that keeping this stuff makes you feel better, but it's ending up hurting you even more.' 'You have several pictures of your mom in your room, Peyton. This is the exact same thing.' 'Only it's not! Remember how I told you that I only kept a few pictures and one sweater, because the rest kept reminding me of her and her accident?' Lucas nodded. 'I think you need to do that, too. Maybe you should put away some of those pictures', she said carefully. 'No!' 'Lucas, I am not trying to hurt you or anything. But I am your friend and I feel like maybe I can give you advice. Because I've been here, too. I know how much it hurts, and I know your aching for her. Every day you have to live without her being there, and it's not fair.' A tear rolls down Lucas' cheek. 'I think that you need to talk to someone.' 'Like a psychiatrist?!' 'Or your parents, whatever might help you!' Lucas walked out of his room, followed by Peyton. 'Who the hell are you to tell me how I should live my life. You have been here for only a month, and already you think that you know me. I don't need you or anybody else telling me how I should run my life!' Peyton looks pained. 'I just thought that we were friends, and I was trying to help you. But apparently you don't think of it in that way.' She felt tears pushing against her lower lids and quickly blinked. 'I'm sorry, I just thought that I could help you.' She stormed out of the house to get to her car. But Lucas came after her. 'Wait, Peyton. We are not done!' She turned around. 'Yes, we are. You apparently don't need me in your life, so why are we still talking about this?' She got into her car and drove off.

Lucas stood in front of his car for a few minutes, wondering if he should follow her. Eventually he got into his car and drove to her house.

Peyton was about to slam the door when Lucas walked into her house. 'Lucas, what are you doing!' she cried. 'You are wrong about this, Peyton.' She groaned. 'Whatever. Just go.' 'No, I won't go. I thought that maybe you would understand me, especially because you went through the same thing. But apparently I was wrong about you. You are not the kind of person I thought you were.' Peyton shrugged. 'Well I'm sorry I didn't live up to your expectations.'  
Lucas shook his head and turned around to walk away when he bumped into another guy.

Peyton widens her eyes when she saw the brown haired guy standing in front of her and Lucas.  
He stared at her and smiles. 'The door was open..' Then he looked at Lucas and stuck out his hand. Lucas didn't shake it. 'I'm sorry, who are you?' 'Oh, my bad. I'm Jess. Peyton's boyfriend.'

_"Charles Bukowski once wrote; 'There will always be something to ruin our lives. It all depends on what or which finds us first. You're always ripe and ready to be taken.'"_

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**I am really unsure about this chapter. I might have changed it like a hundred times, and I still don't know if it is good. So if you would please review it, I would be so thankful. And reviews always make me want to write more..**

next; What will happen between Peyton and Jess. Is she really going to forgive him for skipping out on her, or will she go back to Lucas??


	4. Chapter 4

**The Same Deep Water As you  
Chapter 4**

**A/N; this chapter was really hard for me, and I apologize if it is not so good. I promise you that it will get better.  
And for those who keep reading my story, thank you so much. And please keep reviewing it. That means everything to me.**

* * *

_Peyton widened her eyes when she saw the brown haired guy standing in front of her and Lucas.  
He stared at her and smiled. 'The door was open..'  
Then he looked at Lucas and stuck out his hand. Lucas didn't shake it. 'I'm sorry, who are you?' 'Oh, my bad. I'm Jess. Peyton's boyfriend.'_  
Lucas turned around to Peyton. Her jaw had dropped and she couldn't bring out a word. Jess dropped his bags and walked up to Peyton. He pressed a kiss on her forehead and looked at how she was staring at Lucas. 'Am I interrupting something?'  
Peyton was brought out of her thoughts and was glaring at Lucas. 'No, we are done. Right, Lucas?!' Lucas looked how Jess pulled her closer to him and walked away from them.

Peyton was just as surprised as Lucas to see Jess. _What was he doing here? _  
When she couldn't see Lucas anymore she pulled away from Jess' embrace. She looked up at him with an angry expression. 'What the hell do you think you're doing?'  
Jess gazed into her eyes. 'I came back.' He smiled innocent. 'I came to Oak Land because I wanted to see you. But then Gwen told me that you and your dad moved to this place. So I packed my bags and now I'm here.' Peyton shook her head. 'Yeah, I can see that.' 'What's wrong, Peyton? Aren't you glad to see me?' he asked and looked at her the way he used to. There was something in his eyes that could always make her heart melt. 'Of course I am, Jess', she said involuntary. A big smile appeared on Jess' face. 'But where have you been all these days?' Peyton asked. 'I tried to call you, but you never picked up your phone.' 'I know. I was meaning to call you back.' 'Really? Because it didn't seem like it.' Jess bowed his head down, but then looked up again. 'I'm here now, aren't I? That's gotta count for something. What else do you want?' Peyton walked towards the living room. 'Explanations maybe? Like, where'd you go? And why did you leave me without a warning?' He sighed. 'You know how I am, Peyton. When I get scared I run. That's what I do.' Peyton looked away, obviously offended. 'Did I scare you?' 'No!' Jess quickly said and grabbed her arms. He turned her around so he could look into her eyes. 'You did not scare me. I just never imagined that I would love someone as much as I love you. And that scared me.' 'That's a lame excuse, Jess, and you know it.' 'Peyton, please. I love you, and I need you back in my life.' Peyton pulled back and rubbed her eyes. 'You cannot say that.' 'Why not, Peyt? It's the truth.' 'You cannot say that, because I started a new life. I accepted that you weren't in it anymore. I finally have my life back together again.' Jess looked pained. 'Does this has something to do with that guy you were talking to earlier?' She remained silent. 'Do you love him?' Peyton groaned. 'I - It's not about him. It's about you.' 'No, it's about us. Peyton I know that what I did was wrong. But I am standing here begging you to take me back. Please, Peyton. Take me back.'

A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked into Jess' eyes and searched for the boy she once loved so much. Her feelings for him were still there, but she wasn't sure if she should allow it to fully come back. But when she gazed into his darkbrown eyes she saw that he was remorseful for his actions. She saw that his regret was genuine. She carefully stepped closer to him and. allowed his hands around her waist. He leaned in and without a second thought he pressed his lips against hers.

* * *

Lucas slammed the door closed behind him. There was a mixed feeling of anger and jealousy inside of him. He rubbed his eyes. The words:_"Jess - Peyton's boyfriend", _were running through his head, it was driving him crazy. He plopped himself down on the couch. Keith walked in. 'I thought I heard you come in.' Then he saw the angry expression in his son's eyes. 'What happened? Where is Peyton?' Lucas scoffed. 'She's at home, with her boyfriend. The guy she supposedly broke up with.' 'Oh..' Keith took him to the kitchen and gave him something to drink. He rubbed his eyes. 'Her boyfriend, huh?' Lucas nodded angrily. 'I just don't get it, Keith! She told Brooke and Haley that she broke up with this 'Jess-guy'. I was right there when she said it! And now all of the sudden he decides to take her back, and she does _nothing_.' Keith sighed. 'I don't know what is going on between them, but the truth is, neither do you. You have got to give her the chance to let this sink in before she talks to you.' Lucas sighed and played with the glass of water in his hands. 'I don't think we will be doing muchtalking anyways. I practically told her that I hated her.' Keith raised an eyebrow, as only he could do. 'Yeah, yeah, don't even say it. I know it was a stupid thing to do.' 'Hey, I'm not saying anything.' Lucas looked up to his father. He hated it when Keith did that. When he stayed out of it and let Lucas do all the talking. He sighed. 'One minute we were in my room and everything was fine, and then the next minute everything gets out of hand. I go away for like two seconds, and she starts snooping around in my room. When I come back I see her holding my photo album. You know, the one with all of Danneel's pictures in it.' Keith looked into his son's eyes, and saw that this was hard for him to talk about. 'I asked her what she was doing with it, and then she said that I was being obsessive over Danneel. Just like that.' 'I'm sure she didn't say it like that. Or at least, didn't mean it like that.' 'It doesn't matter. That's how I interpret it at that moment.' 'What did you do then?' Lucas looked away, seemingly ashamed of what he was about to say. 'Well, she told me that she wanted to help me, but I told her that I didn't need her telling me how I should run my life, especially because she had only been her for a month. And then I told her that she was definitely not the person I thought she was.' 'Did you mean it?' He shook his head. 'Of course not. I just wanted to hurt her, Keith. And a part of me still wants to.' There was a brief silent, and Keith Scott wondered if what he was about to say would break his son's heart. 'Lucas, you know I love you, right?' Lucas looked at him and nodded confused. 'Then please listen to me. Really listen.' He looked into his eyes to see if he saw some kind of response there. 'Me and your mom were worried this was going to happen.' 'What are you talking about, Keith?' 'Peyton is not the only one that is worried about you, Luke. Your mom.. she just don't gets what is happening to you. And your not talking to us.' Lucas didn't response. 'You used to be so different. So happy, where'd that go?' 'It probably went away when Danneel died.' Keith shook his head. 'See, I don't believe that, Lucas. It is still there. What you used to feel, happiness, it is still there. It's just harder to find. But every now and then, your mom and I catch a glimpse of the person you used to be. And you wanna know something? We see it when you're around Peyton.'

Jess was upstairs unpacking his stuff, which gave Peyton the time to think this all over. _What had just happened? _She swore to herself that if he came back, she wouldn't forgive him. Or at least, not as quick and easily as she did now. And how could she? He left her, it was just as simple and endlessly complicated as that.

'Babe?' Peyton looked up at him sadly. Jess could read the exhaustion in her eyes, and the only thing he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her. But she wouldn't let him. Not yet. 'Hey, Peyton, what's wrong?' She smiled softly. 'Nothing. I was just daydreaming.' Jess smiled back. 'Listen, I have some more stuff to unpack, but after that I would be glad to spend the rest of the day with you.' Peyton sighed. 'I um.. I actually thought you'd need more time to finish unpacking, so I made plans with Haley', she lied. She just couldn't be there anymore. She was too tired to act like she truly and completely forgave him. 'Oh, that's okay', he replied, somewhat disappointed. 'Then I'm just gonna go..' He pressed a kiss on her forehead and disappeard. Peyton took the car keys from her nightstand and walked down the stairs to get to her car.

'Hey, Peyton', Haley greeted surprised when she saw the girl standing in front of her. 'What's up?' 'Nothing. Just wanted to drop by.' Peyton smiled softly. She tried to hide the sadness in her eyes by, well, simply not looking at Haley. 'Peyton, are you okay?' she asked. Haley's hand gently landed on Peyton's shoulder, and she tried to get Peyton to look at her. Peyton squeezed her eyes closed, and when she opened them again a single tear rolled out of it. 'I'm sorry, I should go.' She turned around again because she was embarresed for dumping all of her problems on her. Haley followed her and stopped her. In the time she'd known her, she had seen Peyton as a strong, independent, self-confident girl. And now her eyes were red and puffy and tears were streaming down her face, she looked so helpless. 'Hey, what's wrong, Peyton?' she asked concerned. Peyton looked up to Haley. She tried to stop the tears and shook her head. 'Okay, come on. Let's go inside.' Haley put her arms around Peyton and brought her back inside.

'Peyton, you have to talk to me. Please tell me what is going on with you.' Peyton wiped away a tear and shrugged careless. 'It's stupid.' 'It's not if it makes you this upset. Did something bad happen to you?' Peyton sighed. 'Not exactly, I think. I don't know.' 'Okay..' 'Jess came back.' Haley spread her eyes in shock. 'Jess, as in your former boyfriend.' Peyton looked away, and squeezed her eyes. 'Well, actually he's still my boyfriend', she said carefully. 'I sort of "forgot" to break up with him.' Haley scowls at her. 'How could you forget that?!' 'I told you, Jess left. He left before we could officially split up. I just sort of assumed we broke up because he never called me. And he never returned my calls. And I sure wasn't going to leave a pathetic break-up on his answering machine!' 'And now he's back.' Peyton nodded. 'And you just took him back, just like that?' Peyton gave her a 'please don't start - I'm too tired' kinda look. 'I'm sorry, Peyton. But I'm just saying what I think. When you told us about Jess, I didn't even have to ask if you ever wanted him back, because the fire in your eyes explained enough. What changed, Peyton?' She shrugged sadly and ran a hand through her curly blonde hair. 'I just had a huge fight with Lucas, and then there was Jess who really seemed to regret everything he had done.' She sighed helplessly. 'I still do love Jess, Haley. I don't know why, but I do.' 'Whoa, wait. You and Luke were fighting? Why?' She chuckled lightly. 'Why do you think?' Haley looked away. Danneel. It was always Danneel. 'I was in his room and I was snooping around and I found a photo album, which clearly was a tribute to Danneel. And I said that I thought that it wasn't healthy that he was holding onto her for so long. And please believe me, I honestly wanted to help him. But obviously he got really mad. His exact words were "You are not the kind of person I thought you were".' 'Oh God, Peyton. I'm so sorry. I told him a few weeks ago the exact same thing, and I should've warned you.' 'It's okay. I understand him.' 'But still, that doesn't give him the right to say that', Haley argued. 'I'll go talk to him.' Haley got up and headed for the door, but Peyton pulled her back. 'Please don't', Peyton said, and a single tear slipped from her eye. Haley saw the begging look in her eyes, and instead of Peyton grabbing her by her shoulders, Haley now put her arms out and pulled her into an embrace. _  
_  
'So what are you going to do now, Peyton?' Haley asked. They were both lying on her bed staring at the ceiling. Peyton shrugged. 'I guess I'm going home.' Haley sat up. 'And what are you going to do about Jess?' 'I'm gonna talk to him, and pray that I will find the boy I once fell madly in love with.' Haley smiled and pats her on her back. 'Good luck, girly.'

When Peyton got home, Jess was waiting for her with a romantic candle-lit dinner planned. 'Jess what is this?' she asked while she slowly sat down at the other side of the table. He only smiled and took her hand. To her surprise she didn't pull it back, and looked deeply into his eyes. 'I know I screwed up with you. And you are about the only girl that would give me a second chance, but here we are, and you're giving me one. And I promise that I will do anything to keep you close to me.' Peyton bowed her head down for a second, but when she looked up, there was a big smile on her face. Jess took that as a good sign and laughed. 'So check it out, I even cooked you dinner.' 'Jess, you shouldn't have.' 'I know, but I wanted to show that I've changed.' Peyton chuckled. 'But seriously Jess, you shouldn't have. I mean, the last time you cooked someone dinner, they ended up in the hospital. I don't want to be there any time soon.' Jess smiled, reminiscing of better days. 'It's okay, babe', she quickly said when she saw the distracted expression in his eyes. 'You're calling me "babe" again. That's good, right?' She looked down when she realised what she called him, and shrugged. Jess lifted up her chin and smiled softly. 'It's okay, Peyton. I won't hurt you anymore.' She nodded hesitatingly.

As the night wore on, things started to get easier. Peyton and Jess were talking about there old friends in Oak Land, and everyting seemed to be fine. At some times Jess tried to talk about the time he went away, but Peyton kept changing the subject, so he stopped trying.

'..And do you remember when it was snowing heavily outside, I think we never had that much snow ever. And you and I were the only ones who were crazy enough to go outside, because you wanted to make snow angels.' Peyton chuckled. 'Yeah, I remember. But as I recall, you didn't mind lying in the snow with me.' Jess shrugged and smiled playfully. 'I just wanted to be with you. Didn't matter where we were.' Peyton smiled, and thought that being that night with Jess seemed familiar. 'Plus, I had a good excuse for holding you close that night.' She frowned. 'Did you need an excuse for that?' 'Nope, not exactly', he laughed. 'You liked it when I was holding you. You said that I made you feel safe, and that you wished that I would never let you go.' 'And yet you did', she said under her breath. Jess' smile dropped. 'I'm sorry, Jess. I didn't mean to say that.' 'It's okay, I deserved it.' Peyton threw back her head in frustration. 'This ain't going to be easy, is it?' Jess smiled and took her hand again. Then he gazed softly into her eyes, like he used to when he tried to comfort her. 'Do you love me?' Peyton didn't want to show that she wasn't sure and answered him right away. 'Of course I do.' 'Then it will get easier. You just have to believe in us.'

* * *

Brooke approached Lucas, who was sitting at an empty table, far away from her and Haley, Jake and Nathan. As soon as he saw her coming he turned around and started to walk away. Brooke grabbed his shoulders and turned him around. She looked at him, confusion was written all over her face.  
'Aargh, Brooke. Please, not now', he groaned and pulled away. Brooke grinned. 'Uh-uh, now!' She pulled him back to the table he was sitting on five minutes earlier. When she looked at him she suddenly seemed worried. 'What is going on, Lucas? You don't want to sit with me and Peyton, and the others. You are obviously avoiding Peyton. Why?' Lucas sighed, surprised she didn't hear the news already. 'Peyton didn't tell you?' Brooke shook her head in confusion. 'We had a fight.' Brooke widened her eyes. 'Why? What did you do?' Lucas scoffed. 'What did I do?' 'Yeah, what did you do!' Brooke fired back, obviously taking Peyton's side, even if she didn't know what happened. 'I didn't do anything, okay! Peyton said that I was being obsessive over Danneel, and I told her that she didn't have the right to say it.' Brooke bowed down her head. 'I don't believe that', she mumbled. Lucas shook his head. 'Of course you wouldn't.' 'Lucas, what really happened? The whole truth?' At that moment, when Lucas motioned to speak, Peyton and a brown haired guy walked through the doors. Lucas pointed at them. 'That happened.' Brooke turned around to see the guy Peyton was holding hands with. They were both smiling, but even from there she could see that Peyton was tightening her grip on his hands, and that she was wearing a nervous smile. Then she turned back to Lucas. 'He's cute!' she smirked. 'Brooke!' Lucas exclaimed angry. 'I'm sorry! Jeez!' She noticed the sadness in Lucas' eyes. 'Who is he?' Lucas smiled sarcastically. 'Jess.' Her jaw dropped which caused Lucas to smile for a moment. 'Is that him?' she asked, not believing him. He nodded. 'What is he doing here?' 'He came back two days ago. And apparently, they are still together. Peyton never broke up with him.' Brooke was speechless. She couldn't blame it on Peyton though, because Jess was a total fox!  
She kept staring at him until Lucas tapped her on her shoulders. 'Go. Go meet him.' Brooke shook her head. 'No, first I want to know what happened.'

Lucas sighed. 'We were working on the assignment..' Brooke gave him a look. 'No, seriously, we were. But then I went to get something to drink for us, and she started snooping around in my room, and she found some pictures of Danneel.' Brooke squeezed her lips together. 'I asked her what she was doing. And she said that she thought it would be best if I put away some of those pictures, because they were only hurting me, instead of helping me. Then I got mad, told her she didn't have the right..yadayadayada.. and she drove away, I followed her, but bumped into Jessie-boy over there. When he told me he was her boyfriend, I turned around and drove away.' Brooke awakened from her thoughts. 'That is all? Nothing more!' she said sarcastically. Lucas nodded sadly. 'I'm sorry, Luke. Have you tried talking to her? I mean, do you want to talk to her.' Lucas crossed his arms. 'Of course I do. I want to tell her that I didn't mean it like that. I was overwhelmed, and it was stupid of me to react like that. And that I was overwhelmed by Jess, too.' 'So? Don't tell me that, tell her.' She motioned to Peyton. 'Give me some time, okay?' Brooke nodded and pats him on his shoulder. 'Talk to you later?' He smiled. 'Sure thing.'

Brooke walked back to the table that now Jess and Peyton joined. She forced herself to smile when Peyton saw her. 'Hey, Brooke. I want you to meet someone.' She pointed at Jess. 'This is Jess.' Brooke smiled. 'So, this is that jerk that left you and never called? Oh, hey. I'm Brooke.' She stuck out her hand. 'Brooke!' Peyton pushed away her hand. 'Don't do this, okay? I forgave him. It's okay now.' 'Really? Because there is a boy over there who doesn't understand it, and to be honest with you, I don't understand you, either.' 'Well, it's my decision.' Brooke threw back her head in defeat and sat down. She sighed. 'Okay, I'm sorry.' She turned to Jess. 'Hi, I'm Brooke. You're Jess, right?' He smiled and shook her hand. 'Yeah, that's right. And you're Brooke. Peyton told me a lot of things about you.' Then he looked at Haley. 'About you, too.' Haley smiled embarresedly at Peyton. 'Only good things I hope.' 'Oh, yeah. Definitely.' Nathan studied him. 'Do you play basketball?' Jess shrugged. 'A little bit', he said humble. 'What are you talking about, Jess. You totally suck at basketball.' 'Hey, I really improved.' The group started laughing.

When the bell rang, they all stood up and gathered there things. Brooke and Haley walked away to their next class, Jess and Peyton followed. Jake and Nathan walked to the gym.

Brooke stared at Haley. 'What is it, Brooke?' Haley said when she noticed it. 'Nothing? I just can't believe that you're all being so nice to Jess after Peyton told us what he did', she replied amazed. 'How do you do that?' 'Peyton came by, and she told me that Jess came back. I could tell that she wasn't sure if she should forgive him or not. But then she said that she did love him. And she also told me to be nice to him when she would bring him to school, for her sake.' Brooke groaned. 'Do we have to. I mean, he's cute and all, but have you seen how much it is killing Luke?'

* * *

Lucas walked into the gym and saw Jake and Nathan shooting hoops. He forcefully smiled and walked up to them. Jake nudged Nathan, and looked at Lucas. 'Hey, Luke. We missed you earlier.' Lucas scoffed. 'Please..' 'I assume you met Peyton's boyfriend?' Jake asked carefully. Lucas nodded. 'Yep. He's here. What are you gonna do about it, right?' 'Right..' Jake and Nathan shared a look. 'This must really suck for you', Jake said. 'I mean, I thought you and Peyton were almost.. you know?' 'What do you mean?' 'Well, you were together almost every day.' 'That was for school. Not because we wanted to.' Nathan threw away the ball he was holding. 'Luke, please cut the crap! I heard everything from Haley. You screwed up, and you know it. But please, don't just stand here and feel sorry for yourself!' 'Shut up, Nate. You don't know what you're talking about!' 'Okay, fine. Then feel sorry for yourself. But please don't do it here, not when I'm around.' Lucas approached him quickly. 'Well, what do you want me to do!' 'I don't know? Are you sorry for what you did?' Lucas didn't response, but his eyes said enough. 'Then tell her that. It could be the best thing for you.' 'Or the worst thing!' Nathan grinned widely. 'One or the other. But you need to talk to her.' Lucas looked away. 'Why do you even care?' he exclaimed. 'Because, you're my brother. I hate to see you suffering. Plus, when you feel sorry for yourself, you play like crap. And I can't have that, and the other guys on the team can't, either.' Unwillingly a small smile appeared upon his face.

When Lucas walked out of the gym, he saw Peyton coming his way. He noticed that Jess wasn't anywhere near. Carefully he stepped up to her. Peyton groaned.  
'Can I talk to you, please?' She shrugged. 'Are you going to tell me how I'm not the person you thought I was', she threw back, and walked away. 'Okay, I know I shouldn't have said that. But I just blurted it out.' Peyton stopped and faced Lucas. 'You know, that didn't even hurt the most. You thinking that I didn't want to help you, that I actually was trying to hurt you, that is what hurt me the most!' she said. Lucas sighed, regret clearly visible in his eyes. 'It's just that before you came to town, I sort of forgot about Danneel. Of course not entirely, but.. When you came here, you immediately started about her, and everything came back. And every time I look at you, I see something that Danneel had too. Integrity. And I guess I blamed you for reminding me of her, and then asking me to forget about her again.' 'I never asked you to do that!' she fired back. 'I know, and I'm sorry that I interpret it that way. I see now that you were only trying to help me.' Peyton rubbed her arms and sighed. 'It's just so hard to reach you sometimes, Lucas. It seems that every time you're with me you close yourself off. Or at least, when it comes to her.' There was a brief silent. 'I didn't mean to hurt you, Peyton.' She sighed. 'I'm just so tired of it all, Lucas. Before I moved here, my life was simple. I figured out how I was suppose to live my life. But it seems that every time I'm around you, every plan I made, alters.' Lucas rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, I tend to have that effect on people..' 'You don't have to be', she said softly. 'I want to help you, Lucas. But you have to let me.' Lucas hestitated. 'I'm trying, Peyton. That's all I can give you right now.' Peyton smiled relieved. 'That's all I need.' They kept staring at each other for a long time, just like they did the first time they met. When Lucas instantly felt that connection he had with her. And he was sure that she felt it, too. Lucas motioned to speak up about all the things he felt, but Peyton was the first to talk. 'We're cool now, right?' Lucas smiled and nodded. 'Good, because I really have to go now. Jess is waiting for me in his car.' She walked away. 'Oh, right. Um.. Peyton?' She turned around again and smiled. 'What's up?' she asked. She looked into his eyes, and hoped that he would say the one thing she was still waiting for. And that after that she could admit _her_ feelings for _him_. Feelings that had to be buried because of Danneel, and now because of Jess. She smiled at him and saw him hesitating. And he was, he was wondering if he should tell her about those feelings _he _had felt for a really long time. Those feelings that scared him, but at the same time made him feel.. alive again. He shook his head, but sent her a small smile. 'I hope you are happy with Jess.'

Peyton bowed down her head in disappointment. With every word he just said her heart broke a little bit.  
But she put on a brave face and smiled. 'Thanks.'  
Then as soon as she turned around again, the tears came running down her cheeks. As soon as her feet could carry her, she walked out of the school.

_"Regret comes in all shapes and sizes. Some are small like when we do a bad thing for a good reason. Some are bigger like when you let down a friend.  
But, our biggest regrets are not for the things we did -- but, for the things we didn't do. Things we didn't say that could've saved someone that we care about. Especially when we can see the dark storm that's headed their way."_

* * *

**Maybe in this chapter, well at least at the beginning, Peyton seemed like she really liked Jess being there, but I will make some major changes when it comes to the Luke/Peyton/Jess triangle next chapter.  
**

**I can't keep telling you how much it means to have you reviewing my story. I really like knowing what you think of the story, and if you have suggestions or maybe improvements? So, please review my story. And if you really like the story you can tell other people about it. **

Next; Will Peyton and Lucas admit their feelings for each other, or will she keep hiding with Jess?


	5. Chapter 5

**The Same Deep Water as You  
Chapter 5**

**A/N; I know it took a while before I uploaded this chapter, and I apologize for that. It was really hard for me to write this chapter. I had so many ideas, but I didn't know how to put 'em into a good chapter. I really hope I pulled it of. Please let me know what you think.**

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'What took you so long?' Jess asked when Peyton stepped into the car. 'I um.. forgot something, and then I had to go back', she lied. 'Sorry.' 'That's okay.' He layed his hand on Peyton's leg. 'So, you're friends really liked me', Jess said sarcastically. Peyton laughed and slapped him. 'Shut up.' 'No, but really. You told them about me, didn't you? I can tell by the way they reacted that you were pretty upset.' Peyton shrugged. 'What do you expect? I was hurt', she said, avoiding the real question. Jess nodded. Peyton looked away. She lost count of all the times they talked this over, and she still didn't understand why Jess didn't see that she didn't want to talk about it.

* * *

Lucas was walking over the graveyard. He was holding a bundle of flowers in his hands, pressing them to his chest. He had never been here to visit Danneel's grave, and now he remembered why. With every step he took, a voice inside of him yelled that he had to turn around and go back home. But he shrugged it off and continued walking. He came not only to pay his respects and to tell her that he loved her, but he also came to say goodbye. The night before he thought a lot about what Peyton said to him. And he kept hearing himself telling her that he would try. Today, that was what he was doing. He was trying to let go.

When he finally arrived at her grave and he had layed down the flowers, the tears just started to flow down his face. He fell down on his knees and covered his eyes. His heart breaking piece by piece, and his mind screaming at him to run away. But it was like he was nailed onto the ground. The only thing he could do was look up to the black letters on her memorial stone that made it only more real to him.  
And then, the tears stopped, and he was able to move again.

'Please forgive me', he whispered. 'I - I couldn't come sooner. Coming here would make it real, and I didn't want that. I didn't want to accept that you were gone. And now I realise that I was being a coward and being selfish, because I was not the only one that was hurting. In times when your family needed me the most, I abandoned them. I had to be here.' He ran his hands through his hair. 'And now, I am finally here. But I lied about my reasons. I didn't only come because I felt like I had to. But also to tell you something.' He sighed. 'It's strange that it is hard for me to talk to you, or that I'm feeling insecure, because I know that it's gonna be alright.' His finger touched her name and he smiled.  
'I need to move on, Danneel. I need to let you go, or else that intense feeling I have been feeling for almost five months, will never go away. And I wouldn't be saying this if I didn't know for sure that I would be able to do it, but I found someone to do it with. Her name is Peyton Sawyer, and she helped me to get through this. Even when I was treating her horrible, she stood by my side.' He sighed again, this time more relieved. 'And words can't describe how I feel about her. But it was so hard for me to admit that, because I was afraid that my feelings for her would be a betrayal of what we had. But now I can no longer go around it. I am in love with her.' He looked up and realised he was looking like a little kid with that enormous smile on his face and his eyes filled with sparkles, but he didn't care.

He stood up, and looked down on her grave. 'This seems like a goodbye, but it's not. From now on I will come visit you whenever I can. I will never forget about you, Danneel.'

-

'Peyton, what the hell going on with you?! Talk to me!' Peyton looked at him, confused about this sudden burst out. 'What are you talking about?' she asked. Jess shook his head and sighed. 'You haven't spoken to me since we got out of that car. Did I do something wrong?' Peyton frowned. 'No, of course not.' 'Then tell me what you want, because this silent treatment your giving me, is killing me!' he exclaimed. Peyton let herself fall on the couch, next to Jess. She tried to make him look at her, but he pulled away. 'Do you know how much I gave up by chasing you to this stupid town? I left my job, my friends..' 'Things you wouldn't even have if you hadn't left me in the first place', she said under her breath. Jess jumped up and snapped. 'Is that what this is about? Because if it is, then I'm out of here!' 'No! That's what your making out of it!' she fired back. 'So you forgave me for that?' he asked. Peyton looked away, visibly hurt. 'You should know me better then that, Jess.' 'I do!' he yelled. 'Or at least I know the person you used to be. But now you're not really giving me a fair chance to get to know this "new" you.' 'What is that supposed to mean?' 'It means that I think that you're not trying as hard as I am to make us work.' 'I love you, Jess. I told you several times, and I wouldn't say it if I wouldn't mean it. But I can't go back to fully trusting you, and I can't be completely open with you, because I want to protect myself from getting hurt again. So what the hell do you want from me?' He walked up to her and grabbed her shoulders. 'All I need is your love. I know it sounds cheesy, but that's all I want.' He gazed into her eyes, and when he didn't see anything familiar, he let go of her again. 'I'm gonna leave you alone now. I don't know when I'll be back.' He turned around and headed for the door.  
'There, you're doing it again!' Peyton yelled. 'Everytime things get hard, you run. That is not helping!' Jess remained silent, and walked out of the door.

Jess was wandering around in a town he didn't know. He had no idea where he was going, but he needed to stay away from Peyton for a few hours. It was not like he regretted his choice of chasing her. It was just that sometimes she wasn't making any sense to him, and he didn't know how to reach her.  
All of the sudden he found himself staring at the blonde male in front of him. Jess recognized him from when he came to Peyton's house for the first time. And he remembered the look in her eyes when she sent him away.  
Then the boy turned around, and by the sight of Jess he dropped his ball.

'What are you doing here?' Lucas asked annoyed. 'Just walking around town. Why, is that illegal?' Lucas scoffed. 'You and Peyton are fighting, aren't you?' Jess shook his head. 'You think you know so much about Peyton, don't you?' 'I think I know a lot more than you do.' 'And you base that on a one month friendship?' Lucas turned around. He wasn't even going to answer that question to him.  
'I'm not stupid, Lucas. I know that you care about her. And I know that you don't believe that I care about her, too.' He turned around again with an angry expression in his eyes. 'If you care about her so much, why did you leave her?' 'You don't know the whole story.' 'Maybe not', Lucas fired back. 'But I know how much it hurt her. I could see it when she talked about you. And I don't know how you feel about her now, but I do know that I won't let you hurt her again.' 'I changed. I will not leave her again, because I love her.' Lucas frowned. 'Isn't that what you said to her the first time, before you left?' He frowned. 'This time is different.' 'Okay, let me tell you something. When it comes to Peyton it is not about what you say or don't say, it's about what you do. And obviously you're not doing a great job, or else you wouldn't be standing here.'  
Jess raised his eyebrows. 'Then what do you think I should do?' Lucas grinned. 'I think you need to get away from this town, and Peyton. You're not doing anyone a favor by staying here.' 'Why? So you can comfort her while I'm gone?' Jess approached him and hit him in his face. It hurt Lucas so much that he fell on the ground. He quickly grabbed his nose and felt blood pouring out of it. 'Stay away from me and Peyton!' Jess yelled and walked away from him.

In the meantime Peyton made her way to Brooke's house. She was almost there when she saw Karen Scott rounding the corner. She looked around and searched for a place to hide, but it was too late.  
'Peyton. How are you doing?' Karen asked when she came closer. 'Mrs. Scott. It's nice to see you.' Karen smiled. 'It's really good to see you, too, Peyton. You haven't been at our house lately. Did something happen?' Peyton forced herself to smile back. 'No, no, I have been a little busy, that's all. I'm sorry.' Karen rubbed Peyton's arm. 'I'm really glad you and Lucas are friends. Thanks to you our son doesn't spend his days feeling miserable anymore. When you came into his life, it seemed like his life had meaning again. You gave us our son back. Thank you for that, Peyton.' 'Oh, yeah. Don't worry about it, Mrs. Scott.' Peyton stared at her, feeling highly uncomfortable. 'I um.. I have to get to Brooke. Bye.'

'Hey, what's up P. Sawyer?' Brooke asked when she opened the door. Peyton shrugged. 'Nothing. I was in the neighbourhood.' 'Uh-huh.' Brooke looked at her, obviously not believing her. 'Well, come in Goldilocks, because I could really use your advice.' Peyton smiled and stepped into the house. She followed Brooke to her room.  
'So, check it out.' She walked to her bed, picked up a few drawings and handed them to Peyton. 'I made this, and I want you to tell me what you think.' 'What are these?' she asked when she looked at them. Brooke shrugged. 'I have been designing some dresses, well, on paper, but I don't know what I should do with them. I mean, what do you think? Are they like, totally hideous, or could I start my own fashion lable with them?' Peyton beamed. 'You could definitely start your own fashion lable with them.' She looked at Brooke. 'Brooke these are amazing!' Brooke smiled. 'Why thank you.' 'Does anyone know that you are designing such amazing dresses?' She shook her head. 'You're the first one', she laughed. 'Well, I'm honored', Peyton teased. 'Okay, so you think I should do something with 'em?' 'Definitely.' 'Good, because if you had said no, we would no longer be friends.' Peyton started laughing.

'But now, why are you here?' Brooke asked. 'And please don't give me that "I was in the neighbourhood" crap, because I don't believe you.' Peyton looked down. 'I just needed to get away from the house. It was getting pretty lonely there.' Brooke looked confused. 'Why? _Jess_is there, isn't he?' Brooke said. The tone in her voice told Peyton that she still didn't like him. 'He is gone. I don't know where he is', she said sadly. 'That jerk left again? I told you, you can't trust him! Once a heart breaker, always a heart breaker.' Peyton shook her head. 'No, it's not like that. We um.. we had a little fight.' She sighed. _Who was she trying to convince? _No, you know what, scratch "little". We had a huge fight.' 'What about?' Brooke asked while she sat down next to her. Peyton shrugged. 'About me. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I've been treating him horrible, while he has been nothing but sweet.' 'You think that leaving you is sweet?' 'Brooke!' 'Okay, sorry.' 'I just don't know how to act around him any longer. It just doesn't feel how it used to feel.' 'Peyton, that's normal. You're just being careful, and you have every right to be.' 'But at least Jess is willing to work on it.' She layed her head on Brooke's shoulder, and Brooke stroke her hair. Brooke wanted to say that she had to dump that loser boyfriend of hers and go to Lucas, because that was who she loved. But instead she said: 'If you and Jess are meant to be, you will figure out your way. People who are meant to be together always figure out a way to be together. Trust me.' 'And what if it doesn't work?' 'Then you need to ask yourself if that is the way you want to keep lying to yourself. You're not helping yourself with it, and it sure doesn't make him feel any better.' Peyton nodded.

* * *

When Peyton walked into her room, she saw Jess sitting on her bed. He was smiling at her, and regret was written in his eyes. And for a second she thought that she saw the guy he used to be.  
She quickly walked over to him and stepped in his embrace.

'I am so sorry, Peyton. I was..' She put her finger on his lips and gazed into his eyes. 'I'm sorry, too.' She smiled and started to kiss him. When they broke apart, Jess took her hand and took her to her bed. Without saying another word they layed in each others embrace.

Peyton was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, with Jess beside her. He was stroking her curly hair, and observing her. It made her nervous, and not in a good way. She sat up and got off of her bed, leaving Jess confused. She walked to the window and absentmindedly stared to the outside. It was raining, and normally that wouldn't bother her, but today it did. Today she didn't want to be stuck in the same house with Jess, let alone in the same room.

'Peyton, are you okay?' She looked at him, sadness in her eyes. 'Yeah.. I'm fine.' 'Are you sure?' he asked and approached her. 'You seem a million miles away. What's going on?' As Jess walked up to her, she walked back to the bed. She was trying to avoid his eyes, and avoiding his touch.  
For a moment there was complete silence. Peyton was fighting back her tears, and Jess was trying to figure out what his girlfriend was feeling. And for how long she would be his girlfriend anymore. Then she looked directly into his eyes.  
'Do we make sense to you, Jess? I mean, like before?' He shrugged. 'Not like before, I guess. A lot has changed since then.'  
'I still love you, and you still love me, don't you?' 'God, Peyton. Do you still have to ask me? Of course I love you. And I would give anything in the world to go back to who we used to be.' Peyton nodded sadly, and slowly sat down on the bed. She let her head sink into her hands and started to cry.  
'I thought it would get easier. I thought that if I just spend all my time with you, I would realise how much I missed you, and how much I loved you. But I never realised that it was so hard for me to forgive you.'  
Jess stared out of the window. The rain was pouring down, raindrops breaking apart when they touched the window. And that was exactly how Jess' heart was right now, breaking apart with every word that came out of Peyton's mouth.  
'And I do love you, Jess', she continued. 'But like you said, a lot has changed since then.' Tears rolled out of her eyes and clouded her sight. 'We were stupid to think that we could just go back. That everything would be fine if we just didn't talk about it, and we were wrong!' 'Do you think I don't realise that? Being around you for the last days haven't been exactly how I imagined it to be. Of course I didn't expect you to fall right back into my arms, but I hoped that we could work on it together.' 'I've tried, Jess', she sighed. 'But I'm done trying now. It just hurts, and that's not how it is supposed to be.' 'But what about earlier. We kissed, and it felt good, didn't it?' Peyton remained silent.  
Jess looked away from the window, but still avoided her eyes. He was fighting back his tears when he realised that it was over.

'This is it, isn't it? It's over.' Peyton shrugged, her tears pushing hard against her lower eyelids. He smiled. 'I used to think that we were meant to be, and that was the reason that I came back to you. I was so sure that we would work things out between us, because.. we were meant to be.' He sighed. 'But I was wrong. I wasn't meant to be with you at all.' He grinned. 'I was all part of a bigger picture.' Peyton smiled confused. 'I think I was suppose to leave you. If I hadn't done that, your dad never decided to move to Tree Hill, and you had never met Lucas.' It was like those words triggered her tears to start streaming down her face. He quickly walked up to her and took her hands. 'It is okay, Peyton. I know you love Lucas. I saw it in your eyes the first time I met him.'  
She squeezed his hands. 'Where are you going now?' He shrugged. 'Maybe back to Oak Land, I don't know. But when you come back from Lucas tonight, I won't be here anymore.' 'So this is goodbye?' she asked disbelieving. He smiled. 'You will see me again, Peyton. But for now.. I have to get away from here. But will you please promise me something?' Peyton nodded sadly. 'Please don't close off your heart to Lucas. If you do that you will miss out on a lot of great things.' Peyton sniffed and gently kissed him.

'Now go, before I change my mind.' Peyton stood up, and walked out of her room, with one last glance at Jess.

* * *

Peyton was standing in front of Lucas' bedroom door. Her heart was racing, and a million thoughts were running through her mind.  
When Lucas opened the door her heart skipped a beat.

'Peyton. Hi.' His face lit up when he saw her and he didn't feel the pain from his nose anymore. 'What are you doing here?' Peyton bit her lip, and started breathing heavily. 'I have to tell you something.' 'Okay, what's going on?' Lucas asked, growing concerned. She looked away for a second. 'Tonight I realised that I have been lying to myself all along. When we first locked eyes, I instantly felt like we had a connection. But I haven't been able to admit it to you or to myself. At first because of Danneel, but then because of Jess. But now Jess is gone, it's becoming clearer to me. I don't care how hard I have to fight for you, even if the one I'm competing with is Danneel..' 'Peyton -' She cut him off. 'I think I might be in love with you, Lucas Scott.' She stood on her toes, and was ready to kiss him, but he pulled away. Peyton looked at him with disappointment in her eyes. She was ready to walk away, but Lucas pulled her back.  
'I have to show you something.'

He took her inside his room, and a complete silence fell. Peyton looked around, and was amazed when she saw that there were no videotapes or clothes of Danneel in his room anymore. And he only had one picture of Danneel, on his nightstand.  
Then when she looked to the other side of his room, she saw a familiar drawing on his wall. It was the one she drew the first day she met Lucas. The one were they were hanging over Danneel's picture, and where the tag was; "it does matter".

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned around. 'All of that.. it doesn't matter anymore. I want nothing to ever stand in our way anymore, because all that matters from now on, is you.'  
He gazed into her beautiful green eyes, and crashed his lips onto hers.

_"Henry James once wrote: 'Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.'"_

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**This was the fifth chapter. I really, really, really would love to hear what you think.**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Same Deep Water as You  
Chapter 6**

**A/N; I know it has been a while since I updated, but school's been crazy. And I haven't had a lot of time to write, but here's my sixth chapter. I hope you like it.**

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The rays from the sun woke Peyton up. When she looked around she noticed that she was not in her own room, or even in her own house. Then she felt two warm arms around her waist. She looked up and saw that she was still lying in Lucas' embrace, which caused a smile on her face. Her fingertips' softly touched his chest and she started to move them over his body.  
Lucas slowly woke up, with a smile on his face.

'Hey Blondie.' He pressed a kiss on her forehead. Peyton smiled. 'How do you feel?' he asked. 'Are you okay?' Peyton smirked. 'I'm better than okay.' She looked around in his room, and then stared at him. 'I still can't believe you put away all her stuff, for me.' 'I love you, Peyton. And I don't want you to feel uncomfortable in my room anymore. And besides, it's time for some new pictures.' Peyton turned around and got her cell phone out from the nightstand. 'Well, in that case..' She leaned in closer to Lucas, and while she laid there in his arms, she took a dozen pictures of them together.

At that moment Lucas' cell rang. He moaned. _Could the timing be any worse? _he turned around and grabbed his phone off of his nightstand.He mumbled a few words, nodded a couple of times and then hung up again.  
He turned back to Peyton. 'I'm sorry, babe. I have to go.' A disappointing expression was visible in her eyes. 'Why? Where are you going?' she asked. 'Nathan asked me to meet him at the garage. But I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise. You can even stay here if you want.' She nodded, but when Lucas tried to get out of the bed, she kept holding on to him. He started laughing and turned around. He leaned in closer. They're lips almost touched, but it was enough for Peyton to drive her crazy. His breath on her lips, and his eyes gazing into hers, made her crave. Lucas acted like it didn't affect him, and leaned in a little closer. 'I'll be right back, I promise you', he teased. He pressed another kiss on her forehead and got out of the bed. He quickly got dressed and walked out of the door. She was left behind in his bed, impatiently waiting for his return.

She was staring at the ceiling, with a big grin on her face. It was almost impossible for her to remember being this happy. But she was. She had found a guy that she loved, and she had to be the luckiest person on the world, because that certain person decided to love her back. She caught herself scanning his room for a third time. Chills ran down her spine as she looked at the drawing that was on his wall, and remembered what he said; 'All that matters from now on, is you.'

Just when she wanted to get out of the bed, she heard a knock on the door. She smiled at the thought that it was Lucas. She hoped that he came back because he couldn't miss her, but that was not the case. That was not the case at all.  
Because no one opened the door, the person that knocked opened it himself. 'Lucas, are you here?' Peyton winced and quickly grabbed the covers to cover herself when she realised that it was not Lucas, but Keith Scott.  
Keith, too, startled when he saw that Peyton was lying in his sons bed. He covered his eyes and turned around. 'Oh, Peyton. I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here.'  
'Um, yeah..' She bit her lower lip and squeezed her eyes together. 'Yeah, I just - Lucas um.. Lucas is gone. Nathan called him, and he is on his way to the garage', she explained while she tried to pull the covers further over her body. Keith already wanted to turn around, but saw that she was still lying there. 'Do you have any idea when he is coming back?' he stammered. Peyton shook her head, even though she knew Keith couldn't see that, which obviously was a good thing. 'I don't know.' 'Oh.. Um, can I talk to you for a second Peyton?' 'Yeah, of course. But would you mind leaving the room first. Then I can get myself dressed..' 'Oh yeah, sure!' Keith quickly said. Why the hell was he still there, he thought to himself. 'I'll see you in a few minutes, then.'

-

'Keith, hi', she said and sat down at the table. She was still uncomfortable with what happened earlier, and seemingly, so was Keith.  
'I'm really sorry for what happened, Peyton.' 'Don't worry about it', she said, not very convincing. Keith smiled. 'Listen, I have to be at the dealership in fifteen minutes. Do you want to walk with me?' Keith suddenly asked. Peyton looked at him, and tried to hide her confusion. 'Yeah, sure', she answered. They stood up and walked out of the door.  
'Again, Peyton. I am so sorry for walking in you earlier. I honestly didn't know that you were in his room.' Peyton shrugged, her smile was private. 'Which actually leads me to the main reason of this walk.' He sighed. She looked at him, and saw the happiness in his eyes. 'Are you and my son together now?' Peyton looked away for a second, unsure of how to answer that question. But eventually she nodded, and she was relieved when she saw the even brighter smile that touched Keith's lips.  
'You probably know that Lucas has had a horrible couple of months.' Peyton arched an eyebrow. 'Yeah..' Keith chuckled. 'But it hasn't been easy on you and Mrs. Scott, either. I mean, when my mom died it was horrible for me, of course. But I remember the powerlessness I saw in my fathers eyes every day. He was now on his own, and even though he tried to put on a brave face for me, I knew on the inside this was killing him.' Keith sighed. 'At first it seemed selfish to be as sad as Karen and I were. I mean, of course Lucas loved her. He loved her so much..' Peyton closed her eyes at hearing those words. It was still hard for her to hear that Danneel was still a big part of their lives. '..Lucas started to close himself off, and Karen and I didn't know how to handle him. He was barely talking to us, and it was hard for us to remember the happy kid he used to be.' She nodded understanding. 'It was like we lost our own son, also.' Then a small smile appeared on his face. 'But then you came along.' Peyton felt herself turning red and stared at the ground. 'Piece by piece we got to see the boy he used to be. Whenever he was around you, he seemed to be happier then he had ever been those four months.' 'Oh, I don't know about that', Peyton replied. Keith smiled. 'I'm really greatful that Lucas has you in his life.' He stopped walking and looked around. 'Well, you can go back to my son now.' Peyton chuckled. She turned around and walked away, when she heard Keith whisper once again: 'Thank you.'

When she was on her way back home, she passed a little record store. It was like the music she heard forced her to come in, and listen.  
The store itself wasn't that big, but there were a gazillion records. She was flipping through the middle bin. There were some great records in there; Disintegration by the cure, the truth by La Rocca, Everything in transit by Jack's mannequin. Those were all great records. She jumped with shock when she heard a familiar voice behind her. 'Finding comfort in music again?' the voice asked. She smiled. She turned around and saw Jess standing in front of her, but stopped smiling. He was staring at her. His hair was messy, and his clothes dirty. His eyes were asking her to pull him into a hug, but when she wanted to do that, he pulled away from her. 'I wouldn't do that if I were you. Don't you see what I look like?' 'What happened, Jess?' she asked concerned, and somewhat shocked. 'I thought you were leaving town.' Jess smiled softly. 'I was. Until my car broke down, not to far away from here. I had to push it to the side of the road, that's why I look like this. Then I walked back to this town, to ask you for help.' Peyton laughed. 'You walked back?' Jess looked to the ground. 'I was afraid you were going to react like this. But are you going to help me or not?' She stopped laughing. 'Yeah, sure. You can come to my house. You can take a shower if you want to, and then we can go to Lucas' house.' Jess frowned. 'Why?' A big smile appeared on Peyton's face. 'Well, my boyfriend happens to really great at fixing cars.' Again Jess frowned. 'Boyfriend, huh? I've been gone for what, a day, and already you found a new guy?' Peyton stared at the floor, she started to feel guilty. Jess quickly lifted up her chin and looked at her. 'I was joking. I think it's great you and Lucas are together.' Peyton chuckled. 'Yeah, right. A day after your girlfriend dumped you, well actually that same night she dumped you, she ran to another boy and declared her love for him, and you think that's great?' Jess shrugged.

They were on there way to Peyton's house. She had tucked herself under his arm, she didn't even mind his dirty clothes. 'So how is it being Lucas Scott's girlfriend? Is it like you hoped it would be?' Peyton grinned. 'I don't know if talking to you about this is right.' 'Why not? Come on, Peyton. You're not gonna hurt my feelings, I don't care about you enough.' Peyton widened her eyes, and Jess started laughing. 'Just kidding. And besides, I asked you about it, didn't I?' 'Well, in that case', she smiled triumphantly. 'It's amazing. Lucas looks at me like I'm the only one in the world that matters. He really sees me, you know?' She looked at Jess, his look becoming sadder. 'I'm sorry I never treated you like that.' 'Oh Jess, you did. When we were younger, you made me feel special. But when you left, that just changed.' He nodded. 'Anyway, I'm glad you're happy, Sawyer. You deserve to be.' Peyton sent him a loving smile, and then let go of his arm.

They stopped in front of her house. Peyton let him take a quick shower, and then they took her car to drive to Lucas' house.  
It slipped her mind that Lucas got a call this morning, and that he had to go away. He still wasn't at home, but Karen Scott was.

'Peyton, what are you doing here?' she asked confused. 'Well, I was looking for Lucas, but then I remembered that he was gone..' Karen smiled, but then spotted the boy next to Peyton. 'Who is this?' Jess took a step forward and shook her hand. 'Jess Williams, Mrs. Scott. Nice to meet you.' Karen smiled again and introduced herself to the boy. Then she turned back to Peyton. 'Um.. Jess is an old friend of mine', she said. She didn't want to get into all the details, and decided to leave a small part of the truth out of her explanation. 'His car broke down, just outside of Tree Hill. And I told him that I had a.. um.. That Lucas was great at fixing cars.' 'Well, like you said, he is not at home. But you're welcome to wait here for him. I have to go anyway.' 'Are you sure?' Peyton asked surprised. 'Yeah, of course. I'm sure Lucas will be home soon. Make yourself at home.' She took her purse off of the chair and walked through the door.

* * *

'Nate, what's up?' Lucas asked when he stepped foot into the garage. It had been a long time since the last time he had been here. This garage always felt like a second home to him, and that probably was because of Keith. Sometimes he came here to fix cars, like he was supposed to, but many times he came by to talk to Keith. That was before his mother admitted those feelings she cherished for his uncle, he moved in with them and adopted him.  
'Luke, finally! What kept you so long?' Lucas smiled mysteriously and a playful glance appeared in his eyes. 'What is it?' Nathan asked suspiciously. Lucas sat down and stared at the car of him. 'Well, yesterday I went to the graveyard to visit Danneel.' Nathan widened his eyes, searching in Lucas' eyes for any kind of emotion. 'And?' he asked concerned. 'And it was.. healing, I guess. I know it sounds weird, but we had a great conversation.' Nathan sighed, thinking his brother had lost his mind. He knew that lately Lucas had thought about her a lot, but this was crazy. 'You know she's dead, right?' Lucas smiled weak. 'Yes, I know that.' 'Okay. So where did you talk about?' Lucas grinned. 'Peyton.' Nathan smiled when he heard that name come out of his mouth. 'I sort of asked her permission to tell Peyton how I felt about her, and I think she was okay with that. It was not that I felt some sort of rush of warm air or tingle at the back of my head, but.. I could feel it in my heart. You know?' He felt Nathan nod and continued. 'When I came home I took all her pictures off of my wall, just like the videotapes and her clothes, and just put 'em in a box. Then I put them in my closet. And just at that moment, someone knocked on my door.' Lucas and Nathan both smiled. 'It was Peyton, right?' Lucas nodded. 'She told me that she said to Jess that they couldn't work it out, and then she told me that she loved me and that she wanted to be with me.' 'And where is she now?' Nathan asked curiously. Lucas squeezed his eyes together and stared at the ground. 'In my bed..' Nathan errupted into laughter. 'In your bed?! Then what the hell are you doing here? God, your such a..' 'Hey, I came here as fast as I could, because I thought something was wrong with you!' Nathan chuckled. 'So it better be good!' Lucas added. Nathan stopped laughing. 'Okay.. I want to arrange some sort of party, for Haley. Tomorrow night.' Lucas rolled his eyes. 'Why?' 'Because, tomorrow, it is exactly one year ago that Haley and I got married.' Lucas raised his eyebrows and smiled. 'You're such a dork', Lucas laughed, but deep inside was feeling jealous at his younger brother. When he looked at Nathan, all he could do was hope. Hope that once he would be as lucky as his younger brother, to have a beautiful family of his own. But when he would look into Peyton's eyes, he knew it was gonna be alright.

'Are you gonna help me, or not?' Nathan questioned. Lucas nodded. 'Of course.' Nathan smiled at his younger brother, obviously satisfied with that answer. 'Thank you.' They both leaned to the car they were standing next to, and looked at each other.  
'What did you have in mind?' Lucas asked curiously. Nathan slowly bowed down his head, and shrugged. '..You don't have anything. Nate..' 'Why'd you think I called you! You organized our reception last year, and I remembered that Haley loved it.' Lucas arched an eyebrow. 'And so did I', Nathan added. 'Anyway, I was just hoping that you could come up with some sort of idea. You know me, Luke. I'm an idiot when it comes to these things. I'm great with the partying and all, but organizing one is not really my thing.' Lucas looked into his brothers eyes, and saw the pleading expression his eyes. Nathan needed his help, that was for sure. Lucas rubbed his eyes and thought about their reception. Back then it was easy, because then he had Danneel to help him. But he realised that he had someone by his side now, too. 'Anyway, it doesn't have to be a big party. You know, just a few good friends and maybe some family. Just keep it low-key.' 'Okay, you know what? I'm gonna go home now, and I'll ask Peyton if she has an idea. I'll call you when I have something, okay?' Nathan nodded. He patted Nathan on his back and disappeared.

* * *

When Lucas walked into his living room, he saw Peyton and an oh so familiar boy sitting at his kitchen table. He wasn't surprised to see his girlfriend there -_ man, it felt good to say or even think about her being his girlfriend _- but he sure as hell wanted to know what Jess was doing there. They seemed to have a good time, which made him feel insecure.  
When they noticed Lucas, their conversation ended. For a moment it seemed like Lucas fell from his place. The same feeling he had felt when he saw Jess that night on the Rivercourt, flared up again. He stared at Peyton and inhaled. 'What the hell is he doing here?' 'Lucas, calm down', she said when he saw him glaring at Jess. Lucas turned back to Peyton. 'Can I talk to you?' He put his hands in his pockets and waited for her answer. 'Yeah, sure.'

'Should I be worried?' Lucas asked concerned when he closed the door to his bedroom. Peyton shook her head. 'Please don't get mad at me.' Lucas frowned. 'I won't if you tell me why he's here.' Peyton sighed heavily. She sat down on his bed. 'What is it Peyton?' Lucas asked nervously. 'Well, right after you left, you're father walked in the room.' Lucas widened his eyes. 'Did he..' 'No! Of course not!' Lucas sighed relieved. 'Okay.. but um, that doesn't explain Jess being here.' 'Well, your father asked me to walk him to his work, and so I did. On my way back home, I bumped into Jess. He looked horrible, and I was worried about him. He told me his car broke down, and asked me if I could help him. Of course I immediately thought of you, because you are the best at fixing cars.' Lucas smirked. 'Will you help him, please? Helping him would not only mean a lot for me, but it also means that he will be gone from this town again, soon.' He sighed. 'Alright..' Peyton jumped for joy and kissed him. 'Thank you, babe.'

They walked back into the room where Jess was waiting for them. Lucas looked at him. 'Where's your car?' Jess smiled. He was surprised that Lucas was even considering fixing his car for him after what he did to him. 'Not to far away from here. You can easily walk it.' Lucas looked at Peyton. 'I might be gone for a few hours. I think it's best if you go home.' Peyton frowned. 'Are you crazy, I'm going with you. I'd like to have my boyfriend in one piece when he comes back.' Lucas smiled and pressed a kiss on her forehead. 'Let's go. But we're going with my car.' Jess raised his hands up in the air. 'Whatever you want.'

-

They stopped the car when they saw Jess' car standing on the side of the road. Lucas immediately took out his tools and started checking out the car. Because Peyton kept hanging around him, Jess didn't really know where to look. When Peyton looked at Lucas, she seemed so happy. Which was good, probably. But on the other hand it made Jess feel kind of jealous. It was not strange that he was feeling like that, it had only been a day since they broke up.  
All of the sudden Peyton walked up to him.  
'So um.. where are you gonna go when you're car is fixed?' Jess shrugged. 'I called my father', he said, and his face lit up. 'It has been almost six months since I talked to him. It felt really good hearing his voice again.' Peyton smiled. 'What did he say?' 'he said that it was okay if I came home again. On one condition, of course.' 'Which is?' she asked curiously. 'I have to finish school. It's not a bad thing, I guess. I'm kind of excited to see everyone again.' Peyton arched an eyebrow, causing Jess to laugh. 'I sounded like a dork, didn't I?' 'Just a little bit.' They shared a laugh.  
Then Lucas walked towards them. 'I fixed it. It's safe to drive home again.

Jess and Lucas shook each others hands, and he hugged Peyton. 'You won't be seeing my for a while, Sawyer.' 'I know. Just.. take care, okay?' 'I will.' He turned to Lucas. 'Take care of Peyton for me, okay? You two deserve each other.' He smiled once more and then stepped into his car. He waved them goodbye and then drove away from them.

Lucas pulled Peyton closer to him. She looked up to him 'Do you wanna come back to my house? I have to give you something.' Lucas frowned. 'Yeah, sure.' They stepped back into his car, when all of the sudden he reminded something.  
'I have some news', Lucas suddenly said. Peyton frowned. 'What kind of news?' Lucas grinned. 'We are going to have a party. Better yet, we are going to throw a party.' She looked at him confused, causing Lucas to erupt in laughter. 'Nathan asked me to throw a party for him and Haley, because tomorrow it is their one year anniversary. And lucky you, you get to help me.' Peyton clapped her hands together in excitement. 'I love parties.' Lucas chuckled. 'Yeah, and with what's happened lately, I think it is about time we throw a party.' 'So where do you want to have it?' she asked. 'I was thinking in my mom's café. Nathan said he wanted low-key. And that is exactly it. We only have to invite some of the guys from the basketball team, Brooke, Mouth, Jake. Just keep it simple.' 'Simple is good. I can do simple.'

Peyton walked into her room and directly walked to her drawer. She took out a manuscript that looked very familiar to Lucas. He laughed at her when she handed it over to her.  
'I read it, Luke. Two times at least, and I think it was great. You really have a gift.' Lucas stared at the floor. 'Oh, I don't know about that.' 'But I do.' She laughed. 'The only thing that's missing, is me.' 'I know. That's why I'm very glad you gave it back, so I can add a couple of special chapters to it.' He took her hand and kissed her temples.  
'And did it help you understand my life more?' he asked. 'Yeah, it really did. It's crazy, but I feel like I have known you all my life. Not only because of this book, though. But we've been spending so much time together. I really think I know a lot about you.' 'Well good, because next week we have to turn in our assignment. I was wondering how far you were on yours.' She smiled mysteriously. 'I'm almost done, and I feel really good about it. How is yours coming?' 'So-so.' He bit his lower lip lightly. 'Nah, mine is done, locked away in my closet.' Peyton quickly walked over to him and put her arms around his neck. She gazed deeply into his eyes. 'Can I read it?' Lucas shook his head. 'Please?' 'Nope, sorry.' 'Aw, Luke! Please? Pretty please?' She placed several kisses all over his face, hoping he would give in, but Lucas pulled away from her and laughed. 'I won't let you read it, Peyt. It's embarrassing.' 'Please? I'll let you read mine, too.' 'Really? Lucas asked surprised. 'No, not really. Can't blame a girl for trying, can you?' Again she wrapped her arms around his neck and started to kiss him very intensely. He slowly lifted her up and laid her down on his bed. He first kissed her in her neck, but then moved up again and kissed her beautiful lips.  
Peyton moved one hand through his blonde, thinning hair, and the other one had a hold of Lucas' hand as their fingers intertwined. Lucas slowly pulled off her shirt, and she started to unbutton his.  
Then he laid his body back on hers and kissed her passionately.

* * *

**Reviews really make me happy, so please keep adding them. I'd love to hear what you think.  
**next; it's all about Naley's party.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Same Deep Water as You  
Chapter 7**

**A/N; This will be a very short chapter, and I apologize for that. But it's coming closer to an end, and I don't have much storylines left. So please, enjoy this last one. **

* * *

Lucas walked into the kitchen, where his parents were just finishing breakfast. 'So you're sure we can use the café for Nathan's party? I mean, there is gonna be a lot of drinking and God knows what else.' Karen laughed. 'It almost seems like you don't want to have the party in my café', she returned suspiciously. Lucas threw his hands up in the air and grinned. 'I'm just saying. But if you say that it's okay, then we will definitely use the café.' He sighed. 'Now, I will have to leave you two alone, because I'm going over to Peyton, and we are going to plan the party.' Keith arched an eyebrow 'Just the two of you?' 'No, Brooke is coming, too.' 'Oh, good. 'Cause if you two were planning on planning the party by yourselves, I think there won't be much planning.' Lucas frowned. 'I don't really understand what you just said, but it's okay. I'm gonna go.' Karen laughed, and waved her son goodbye.

* * *

To his surprise he saw Brooke's car already parked outside Peyton's house when he got there. As always, her front door was open, and so he could walk right into her house. He found Brooke and Peyton lying on the couch, laughing hysterically.

'What's so funny?' he asked smiling. Peyton and Brooke looked at each other and erupted into laughter again. Then Peyton looked at Lucas, and stopped laughing. 'I'm sorry, babe.' She got up from the couch and pecked his lips. Lucas wrapped his arms around Peyton. 'So what were you laughing about? Not me, I hope.' 'Of course not, Luke', Brooke replied. 'We would never ever do that.' Lucas scoffed and sat down.  
'Anyways, I wanted to tell you both that we got the café.' Brooke and Peyton started to scream hysterically, while Lucas tried to continue. 'I asked my mom, and she thinks it's a great idea.' Peyton leaned forward and kissed Lucas' cheek. 'You're the best, you know that.' Lucas shrugged and kissed her back, which turned into a heavy make-out session. 'Okay, you guys? First of all, I really don't want to see this, so stop! Second of all, we still have to do a gazillion other things!' 'Like what?' Peyton asked when she and Lucas broke apart. 'Like.. guests, ornaments, drinks, food.' 'Brooke, relax! It's a café. Of course there will be food, and drinks. And Nate said that he wanted to keep it low-key, so we don't really have to worry about guests. We'll just invite some close friends, and family. And as far as the ornaments go.. you're Brooke Davis, you know how to fix this.' Brooke smiled triumphantly. 'Lucas will ask his mom if she wants to make something to eat, I will invite all the guests, and you can decorate the café, okay?'

-

_That night;_

'Nathan, this is amazing!' Haley exclaimed when she walked into the café. 'Did you do this for me?' Nathan squeezed his eyes together, causing Haley to laugh. 'Of course not, your Nathan Scott. You only do the party-part, not the organizing-part.' Nathan grinned. 'But I'll have you known, that I _was _one to ask Lucas to organise it.' 'Really?' Haley smiled mysteriously and kissed him. 'Well, I'm actually surprised you remembered it.' 'What? Forget the day my life changed for the better? Never!' Haley laughed. 'You're the best guy a girl could wish for.' She smiled at him and walked towards Lucas.

'Hey, brother-in-law.' 'Hales, you know I don't like it when you call me that. I'm your best friend, not your brother-in-law', he said, and pulled a dirty face.' Haley laughed. 'Sorry.' Out of nowhere she stepped forward and hugged Lucas. He looked confused. 'What was that for?' 'For doing this for me, and Nathan.' 'Hales, you're my best friend. And Nathan is my brother.' 'Yeah, I know, but still. Not everyone would do it.' 'Well, I had a lot of help, from Peyton and Brooke.' 'Speaking of, how are you and Peyton doing? Are you happy?' 'Yeah, I'm happy. Peyton is the one I want to be with. And not just for a few moments, I want what you and Nate have.' 'You want a family?' Haley asked surprised. 'Yeah, is that weird?' 'No, of course not!' Haley quickly said. 'But.. you're not gonna propose to her tonight, are you?' 'No!' Lucas exclaimed, which made the whole room look at him. He smiled embarrassingly and looked at Haley. 'Of course not, we're still in high school. I wouldn't be that crazy.' Haley shot him an evil look. 'Not that I think what you and Nathan did was crazy', he added. 'I just want her to be with me, you know. I never want to let her go.' 'Sounds to me like you love her.' Lucas let out a relieved sigh, like he was relieved that he could finally say it out loud. 'I really do love her.'

Haley smiled at him, and patted him on his back. 'I'm going to thank her and Brooke for doing this for me, and I'll make sure that I tell her what you just told me.' Lucas grinned and watched her walking towards his girlfriend. Damn, it felt good to call her his girlfriend.

'Hey girly', Haley greeted Peyton. 'Hey, Hales. How are you?' 'I'm honoured, actually. And really thankful. You're a great friend, Peyton. Thank you for doing this for me and Nathan.' Peyton smiled and hugged her friend. 'When I look at you and Nathan, I just see something that I want, too. The two of you are a big example for everyone who believes in true love. I hope I will get that one day.' Haley chuckled, and shot a look at Lucas. 'I think you'll be fine.'

-

'Hey, man. Thank you for all of this', Nathan said to Lucas. 'No problem, man. You two deserve it.' 'Well, Haley loves it. So thank you.' He patted Lucas on his back, and was ready to walk away, but Lucas grabbed his arm and told him to come with him.

'What's up?' Nathan asked when they were both standing outside. 'Do you need anything?' Lucas smiled. 'No, not really.' 'Okay, then what's wrong?' Lucas inhaled deeply. 'I saw Dan.' Nathan widened his eyes. 'What do you mean? When?' 'A few weeks ago.' 'A few weeks ago!' he repeated, more angry. 'Why didn't you tell me?' 'Because! It's Dan! I was just shooting some hoops at the Rivercourt, when he just popped up, out of nowhere. He was annoying the hell out of me, as usual. And he was asking a lot of questions, and I didn't want to answer them.' 'What kind of questions?' 'If we were managing without him, you know, the normal Dan Scott stuff.' 'Then what happened?' Lucas sighed. 'I send him away.' 'You did what!' 'I know, and I'm sorry! I just didn't want him anywhere near me and my family again, and I thought I was doing the right thing. But then a few days later I overheard you and Haley talking about him, and you wanted him to come back, and I didn't know what to do anymore.' 'You could've told me! God, Luke! Where is he now?' 'I don't know. I didn't ask him.' Nathan closed his eyes, and ran his hands through his hair. 'Look, Nate, I didn't think you wanted anything to do with him. I wouldn't have send him away if I thought otherwise.' 'I don't want anything to do with him, either, Luke.' Lucas frowned. 'But I just wish you would've told me.' Lucas looked down at the ground. 'What do we do now?' 'Nothing. I don't want to go look for him. As far as I'm concerned, he's dead', Nathan sighed and walked back inside.

-

When Peyton saw the concerned look on Lucas' face, she walked right up to him. 'I've been looking for you everywhere. But then I saw you talking to Nathan outside, and I thought I saw him yelling at you. What happened? 'I.. I told him about Dan.' Peyton sighed. 'How mad is he?' she asked carefully. 'Not mad at all', Lucas answered surprised. Peyton arched an eyebrow. 'At first he was, because I hadn't told him. But then he told me that he didn't want Dan anywhere near him, ever again. He didn't say much more. He just walked back inside.' 'That's strange.' 'Yeah, it is. But if he says that Dan is dead to him, than I believe him. And I feel the same way, so it's probably for the best that we don't talk about it anymore.' Peyton nodded and tucked her arm underneath his and walked back with him to where the others were sitting.

'Look who we have there', Brooke laughed when she saw them coming. 'Is there ever a moment where the two of you aren't touching each other?' 'Look who's talking', Peyton returned, referring to Brooke who was sitting on Jake's lap, and started to laugh.  
Then Nathan walked up to them, with six glasses of champagne. 'I think we all deserve a glass of this', Nathan said, and gave them all their own glass. 'Yeah, I mean, we've been through enough the last couple of months', Haley said. 'First losing someone, and then finding another girl, who becomes a great friend.' She looked at Lucas at Peyton. 'You guys have been through a lot together, and I am so glad that the two of you found your way to each other. To True love!' They all chuckled, but raised their glasses anyway and exclaimed: 'To True Love!'

While Lucas leaned closer to Peyton, Brooke leaned closer to Haley and whispered: 'Told ya, she was the one.'

* * *

**Told ya it would be short. Please review for this last chapter. Well, actually that's a lie, my next chapter is the last one, and it will exist from Lucas and Peyton's essays. **

**Please review. **


	8. Chapter 8

****

The Same Deep Water as You  
Chapter 8 - the final one

**A/N; Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading and reviewing my entire story. It really means a lot to me. Please enjoy this final chapter**

* * *

_In these past couple of months I have come to know Lucas Scott as a fantastic basketball player, a wonderful brother, a reliable friend, and I was fortunate enough to get to know him as more than that. Now I could tell you why he is such a fantastic basketball player, brother and friend, but I'm not going to, because then there wouldn't come an end to this essay. _

_What I will do, is talk about his life, which I am very lucky to be a part of. And I will tell you who I think Lucas Scott is.  
Lucas has everything you could ever wish for: friends and family that love him, and a future to look forward to. To find out about those three things, you don't have to look hard. But when you want to know about his past, you have to dig a little deeper, and you really have to get to know him. That's what I've been trying to do. _

_I learned that the years have been rough on him. He recently lost his girlfriend, which is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. But that girl, she was his friend first. And that is what makes it even harder. _

_And then I came along. A girl who knew nothing about everything, and I immediately started about his girlfriend. It was very hard for him, and I noticed that he was slowly building a wall around himself. Something I think he had been doing for a while. And only occasionally he would let you break through that wall. And when you did that, you saw.. just a boy. Nothing more, nothing less. A boy that wasn't afraid to be labelled, or scared that he wouldn't fit in. He just wanted to live his life, and unlike others, he knew that he had to live it with the things he loved and had. His friends, his family, and his game. _

_When you saw that boy, you saw someone who would give you the feeling like you mattered, and if you needed it, he would say it, too. Not because he felt like he had to, but because he wanted to, and because he means it. Lucas will always be there for you whenever you need him. That's who he is. He isn't the kind of boy that lets you down. You can depend on him, trust him. I haven't figured out how he does that yet, but there is this look in his eyes that tells you that it is okay to feel sad or angry or alone, because eventually everything will be okay. _

_Lucas Scott will do everything for the person who took the time to break through his wall. And I was lucky enough to be one of those persons. _

_The last couple of months I have come to know Lucas Scott as a fantastic basketball player, a wonderful brother, a reliable friend, and I was fortunate enough to get to know him as more than that._

_But mostly as just a boy. Nothing more, nothing less. _

**- **Peyton Sawyer

--

_I have been lucky enough to get the chance to get to know Peyton Sawyer. But not just as a partner for this assignment_. _I was lucky enough to get to know her in my life. __When she came walking into my life, I had no idea that this girl would end up being very important to me. And I have to admit that at that time, I didn't really care. As you might know, I was at a pretty dark place, and I didn't want help from anyone. But she didn't care, because she had been through the same thing, and she would do anything to help me get through that time. Many times I tried to push her away, but she always came back. At that moment I knew she would be in my life forever._

_Not many people know how hard the years have been on her. When she was only a kid, she lost her mom in a car accident, and she was left alone with her father. And even though she was hurting, she wouldn't show it to her father, because it would only hurt him more. _

_After a while they both started to live their lives again, which meant that her father would be out on sea for his job, for maybe three months or more. And whenever her father would call her and ask her if she was okay, she would tell him that she had everything under control, even when that wasn't the case. Because she didn't want him to worry. That's the kind of girl Peyton Sawyer is. She will put away all of her problems, just to solve yours first. _

_But while she was doing that, somebody else came back into her life, a very important person. And I was jealous, because she started to spend more time with him than she did with me. And then I set her for the impossible choice to make, she would either be with me, or be with him. And I thought she chose to be with him, and I started to push her away, again. But she came back to me, again. She was still there for me when I needed her, but she was there for him, too. That's what she does. She wants to do the best for everyone, and it may sound impossible, but somehow she pulls it off. _

_Peyton Sawyer became very important to me in such short amount of time. She crawled her way into everyone hearts and I have the feeling she will be in mine forever. _

- Lucas Scott


End file.
